


When the Party's Over

by the_huffster



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Body Shaming, Bottom Aziraphale (Good Omens), Chronic Pain, Crowley Has Chronic Pain (Good Omens), Crowley has a Stutter, Crowley is Good With Kids (Good Omens), Homophobia, Human Aziraphale (Good Omens), Human Crowley (Good Omens), Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Past Drug Use, Pillow Principality Aziraphale (Good Omens), References to Drugs, Service Top Crowley (Good Omens), Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, They/Them Pronouns for Beelzebub (Good Omens), Top Crowley (Good Omens), Trauma, We fall like Crowley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-01-29 21:41:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21417106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_huffster/pseuds/the_huffster
Summary: Anthony J. Crowley lives the fast and wild life of a nightclub personality, basking in the many perks and struggling to maintain a normal, private life. He's the talk of the town (not always a good thing), and an appearance from him guarantees crowds at any nightlife establishment.Aziraphale Fell lives the quiet life that comes with owning a bookshop, content with the routine he has settled into over the years. His (short lived) days of soaking in London's nightlife are behind him and it's for the better, judging by what the tabloids and gossip columns say about that particular scene.When their completely different paths cross, Crowley finds himself drawn to the almost angelic bookshop owner and Aziraphale finds himself intrigued by the bad boy of London's nightlife.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 230
Kudos: 327





	1. i don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back at it again after four days with another Human!AU. This one is gonna be a different type of slow burn from my last one, but one thing will be the same and that is you can expect Angst. Let me know what you guys think, and hopefully you enjoy this new dumpster fire!
> 
> Want more of the crazy, feral energy that's boiling inside me? Then give me a follow on Tumblr at a-rare-gift and on Twitter at doitlikedamien. You can also further support my artistic endeavors on Ko-fi at doitlikedamien as well :)

The sound of squealing tires echoed in the car park as a 1926 Bentley pulled into an empty space, although the vehicle certainly didn’t look like a vintage car; anyone who saw the black and grey car could easily tell it was well loved by the owner. Although the general public’s reaction to the owner was always one of surprise and confusion once they learned the vintage Bentley belonged to a twenty-six year old who looked as if he could barely afford a tire off of the vehicle. Of course, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

There were perks to being a nightclub personality, and getting his hands on such a beautiful classic was one of those perks for Anthony J. Crowley. The young man climbed out of the Bentley and carefully closed the door, giving the car a once over before locking it up. He made his way towards the back entrance of Nine Circles Nightclub, following the noise until he was standing by the pit that made up the first level dance floor.

“You got ssstuck with the prepping dutiesss?” he called out when he caught sight of a dark haired young woman.

“Well that’s what happens when you’re the bar manager.” Anathema turned to give the red head a teasing smirk. “Plus I have to pick up your slack since you won’t be here.”

Crowley just shrugged as he walked over to the massive bar, leaning against the bar top.

“I will be here. It jussst won’t be until later.” He corrected.

“Which brings me to my question, why are you here?” the American can asked, an eyebrow raising over the wire frame of her glasses.

“Dropping off the Bentley, that way I don’t have to worry about parking when I do arrive.” Crowley said as he subtly shifted his weight off of his right leg. “I came in to let you know before I head back out.”

“I’ll let everyone know so they can help keep an eye out when they get here.”

The red head grinned as he pushed himself off of the bar top, slowly making his way backwards towards the exit. Anathema watched him closely as he got closer to the pit, and Crowley knew she was waiting to see if he would fall in.

“I’ll sssee you tonight.” He flashed a smile and spun around.

The brief thought of grabbing the duffle bag that held his clothes for the night from the Bentley passed through his mind, but he dismissed it as quickly as it appeared. It wouldn’t take long for him to change in the downstairs office, and it wouldn’t be the first time that someone had done so. Being able to come and go the way he could was one of the benefits of being part of Lucifer’s Gang, although it had been nearly two years since anyone had uttered that term.

Ever since Nine Circles opened up, Lucifer’s Gang went from five members to four members; Ellie “Beelzebub” Fly, Oliver “Hastur” Hastings, Nathan Ligur, and Crowley. Lucian “Lucifer” Star had broken away from the group to open up Nine Circles but the name for their little group had already been cemented in the nightlife scene. There had never been a question of if the club would be successful, and that had everything to do with the names attached to Nine Circles.

The sound of a duck quaking pulled Crowley out of wherever his mind had wandered off to, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips. He knew who the text message would be from without needing to get his mobile from where it rested in the pocket of his jeans. From behind the sunglasses that seemed to always be on his face, his eyes lit up in amusement when he read the message.

Lilith: _How much longer?_

Crowley looked around at his surroundings, his attention briefly pulled to the dark clouds that were gathering above him.

Crowley: _About fifteen minutes. Ten if I pick up my pace._

Lilith: _He’s getting impatient, so try and hurry up._

A chuckle left him as he shook his head slightly, not surprised in the least. He sped up just enough to feel the twinge in his right knee but ignored it; being on time for his early dinner was more important than his own comfort.

As he walked, he made all the appropriate posts on his social media accounts to generate last minute buzz before checking through his messages to make sure all of his booths were still booked. The fact that he had booked his entire section so early in the week had allowed him to breathe easier for the day, knowing it wouldn’t have ended well for him if he had been constantly on his phone during dinner.

Crowley had been so caught up in promoting the club’s lineup for the night that he hadn’t even realized it started raining until it was too late. 

“Shit shit shit shit.” He hissed as he ran into the nearest shop, a little bell above him ringing out.

He did his best to shake off any of the water that clung to him, slipping his mobile back into his pocket. Crowley looked over his shoulder and sighed at the amount of rain that was now coming down.

“Ssso much for fifteen minutesss.” He mumbled, running his fingers through his damp hair.

“Can I help you?”

Crowley jumped at the voice and looked at the man who seemed to have appeared from nowhere. He took in the other man’s appearance, smirking slightly when he noticed the tartan bowtie; there really should have been no way that it went with the tan suit but it somehow worked. Once he got over his amusement of the man’s clothing, the next thing Crowley noticed was the perfectly blonde curls that made dark blue eyes pop in the dimly lit shop.

“It wasss raining and…’s alright if I wait it out, yeah?” Crowley pointed over his shoulder to the rain pouring outside.

“Um, yes. That’s fine.” There had been a flash of surprise when the man noticed the rain. “Just…try not to get anything wet.”

Crowley gave a mock salute before finally looking around the shop he had run into, surprised to see the clutter of books that made up the place. He had no idea how he could have missed that considering how many of the books seemed to be spilling from the bookshelves. He read the signs hanging from the ceiling that laid out what genre was where; it seemed the shop held every type of book, from children’s book to books of prophecy. Although Crowley really had no idea what that last one meant.

He could feel the blonde man’s eyes on him as he weaved his way through the shop, and he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. It seemed he couldn’t even go into an unassuming bookshop without being followed. Of course, he had no idea why the other man was keeping an eye on him but there were limited reasons for that and the blonde didn’t look like the type to be the nightlife type. So that only left one of two reasons; either the man thought Crowley was up to no good, or he recognized him from some gossip column.

“Do you alwaysss follow your customersss around?” Crowley asked as he came to a stop in a section that seemed to hold special books and manuscripts.

“Only when they end up here without calling ahead.” The slight embarrassment at being caught could be heard in the man’s voice. “Most young adults don’t just willing come in the section.”

“Why’s that?” Crowley glanced over at the blonde before going back to scanning the shelves and cases around him.

“Rare first editions are a bit expensive, at least these one are. I normally get collectors who come looking at this lot.”

Crowley just nodded as he slowly walked along the shelves, bringing a hand to ghost along the spine of one of the books. He assumed that the ones that were worth the most were the ones locked up in the cases, and he smirked at the realization that there wasn’t really any type of organization to this section. He heard a small gasp when he carefully began to pull one of the books off the shelf, stopping when he noticed the man’s face. He gently pushed the book back into place and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“Sssorry.” He muttered as he turned to look at the blonde.

“It’s just that…you came in from the rain and…water damage.” The blonde rambled, his hands wringing front of him.

“I can buy if it is damaged.” Crowley offered, although he wasn’t entirely sure what he would do with it if that were the case; it wasn’t as if he was a huge reader.

“No offense, but I don’t think you could afford something from this section.” A slight blush appeared on the other man’s cheeks, and Crowley had the briefest of thoughts about how cute the blonde looked.

An eyebrow peaked over his sunglasses as an amused smile slowly spread on Crowley’s face. Between the way the other man was dressed and his reaction at having been caught following him, the red head hadn’t expected him to be quite that blunt.

“Trust me, I make plenty to be able to afford sssome of these booksss.” Crowley smirked.

“I don’t accept anything that was gained illegally.” The blonde said sternly, and that only made Crowley laugh loudly.

“Nothing illegal about what I do. I work in the nightlife industry.” He said as he reached into his back pocket to pull out his wallet, fishing one of his business cards out before handing it over. “Officially, I’m a promoter. But I’ve gained sssomewhat of a following and have been elevated to club personality.”

“That sounds made up.” The other man pointed out as he took the business card, looking it over. “How can your name just be Crowley?”

“Club personality isn’t a job title, it’sss…I get paid to show up to certain clubs and loungesss, make an appearance at certain events and grand openingssss…I’m a mild celebrity in the nightlife industry.” Crowley explained with a shrug. “And Crowley is my last name. In this line of business, you have to make yourself ssstand out.”

The other man simply nodded as he absentmindedly fidgeted with the business card. A somewhat awkward silence hung between the two men and Crowley was faintly aware of the rain still pouring outside the shop, his heart sinking somewhat at the reminder of the promise he had made. Almost as if the universe knew what he was thinking, his mobile broke through the silence from his front pocket.

Crowley quickly pulled out the device and answered it, taking a few steps away from the blonde. He wasn’t entirely sure what kind of mood his tardiness had put Lilith in.

“Where are you, Crowley?” her voice greeted him before he could get a word out.

“I’m around the corner but thisss rain…” Crowley kept his voice low, his attention focused on the heavy raindrops outside the window. “I don’t exactly want to show up sssoaking wet.”

“You’re not driving?” he could imagine the look of surprise on Lilith’s face.

“We were meeting close to the club and…and, um…’s jussst easier to leave the Bentley there from when I do go in tonight.” The red head explained, his free hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. “If I had known that I would get caught in the rain, then I would have…”

“Just get here, Anthony. You promised you’d be here.” Lilith said softly before hanging up.

Crowley let out a small growl at the disappointment his absence was causing. His fingers ran through his hair before giving the short locks a slight tug. He was going to have to just book it in the rain if he wanted to keep his promise.

“You have somewhere to be?” the soft voice caused him to jump for the second time that day, and he almost forgotten about the other man.

“Yeah, and…well, you can sssee the rain.” Crowley muttered.

“It’s important, I take it?”

“Incredibly important.” The red head said softly before sighing, his mobile slipping back into the safety of his pocket.

There was the sound of movement behind him but he paid it no mind as he zipped up the leather jacket he had thrown on before leaving his flat. It wasn’t the best protection from the rain, but at least his shirt wouldn’t be completely soaked by the time he made it to his dinner.

“This should help prevent you from getting completely rained on.”

Crowley turned to see the blonde man holding out an umbrella, a shy smile on his face. He stared at the umbrella before looking back at the other man. He had no idea if he looked as confused as he felt until the blonde let out a small chuckle, practically pushing the umbrella into Crowley’s hands.

“If wherever you need to be is so important, than you should probably get going.” The man pointed out.

“Um…thanksss.” Crowley forced the words out of his mouth, his fingers closing around the umbrella. “You’re a…a life sssaver.”

The blonde gave a bright smile before motioning to the front door. The movement snapped Crowley out of whatever trance he had fallen under, his legs quickly working to get him outside and towards the restaurant as fast as possible. As Crowley made sure to keep under the umbrella as much as possible, he made a mental note to come back to the bookshop to return the object to its owner.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It had taken Crowley nearly ten minutes before he finally walked into the restaurant, his eyes scanning until he saw who he was looking for. The minute he realized Lilith had noticed him, he brought a finger up to his lips and carefully walked towards the table. His gaze drifted to the back of the dirty blonde curls that sat atop of the boy he was trying to surprise, a grin already on Crowley’s face.

“What do you think Dad is going to order, Adam?” Lilith asked and Crowley could have kissed her right there for distracting the boy.

“Nothing, he never eats.”

“That’sss because I’m saving my appetite for birthday boysss.” Crowley put on his best monster voice as he reached around and tickled his son’s side, causing the boy to kick his feet under the table and squeal in delight.

Crowley quickly took the empty seat next on his son’s left, laughing when Adam launched himself at his father. He held the boy close and kissed the top of his head, well aware of Lilith watching them. He lifted his head and gave a smile to her, not for the first time thinking how lucky he was to have such a good friendship with his son’s mother.

Lilith had been among one of the first people he had connected with when he began exploring London’s nightlife, and that connection had quickly turned into a relationship. The relationship had, surprisingly, lasted for a year and then quickly fizzled out when they had learned she was pregnant. It had been during one of their many talks about how to handle raising a child that Crowley had opened up about the part of him he had locked up in fear, telling her he had hidden his sexuality purely out of survival. She had taken his coming out well considering that they had been dating, and he had rushed to assure her that his feelings for her had been real but they weren’t entirely romantic or sexual.

Everyone in Lucifer’s Gang had been surprised at how close the two reminded considering Crowley had admitted to using her as a beard, but Lilith had said that she understood Crowley’s reasoning for hiding his sexuality. And that had been that on the subject. Six years later and Crowley knew he was incredibly lucky to have such a good woman to co-parent with.

“You finally made it!” Adam grinned as he moved back to his seat between his parents, turning to look at his mother. “Told you he’d be here, Mummy.”

“’Course I made it. Promised you I’d be here, didn’t I?” Crowley grinned as Lilith laughed. “Do you know why I made sure to be here?”

“’Cause it’s my birthday!” the six year old proudly exclaimed, his bright blue eyes looking up at his father.

“Isss it?” Crowley made a show of pretending to think before he turned his attention to Lilith. “I could have sssworn I came here because birthday boysss buy dinner for their fathers today.”

“No!” Adam giggled, his curls bouncing as he shook his head.

Crowley grinned as he took off his sunglasses, placing them carefully on the table. He smiled as he looked at his son, the love he felt for the boy shining brightly in his honey colored eyes.

“Happy birthday, kiddo.” Crowley said once Adam’s giggles had died down.

“Okay, let’s look at the menu so we can order.” Lilith’s voice pulled both father and son’s attention, a warm smile on her face. “And when we’re done, we’ll go back home for cake and presents.”

A wide grin broke out on Adam’s face as he looked at the children’s menu in front of him. While he looked over his choice, Crowley noticed the silent question in Lilith’s blue eyes and he couldn’t help thinking about how much their son took after her. He gave a small smile and a subtle nod to answer her question.

He couldn’t wait to get dinner over with so he could see Adam’s reaction to how Lilith’s flat had been set up, and to the surprise waiting for him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dinner had gone by rather quickly, Adam’s excitement for cake and presents practically radiating from him. There had only been one interruption when Crowley’s mobile had started ringing and the look of annoyance on Lilith’s face was quickly replaced with amusement when Crowley answered the FaceTime call, the image of some of their Nine Circles family holding giant letters that spelt out ‘Adam’ with sparklers being held by the rest greeting them. Adam giggled as he heard the small group sing Happy Birthday to him. The call was kept short and ended with Lucian promising to visit his favorite nephew the next day; of course, Adam pointed out that he was his only nephew.

The rest of the evening had gone as planned, Adam’s excitement of getting cake overshadowed when he found out Lilith was taking him to an animal shelter the next day so he could pick out a dog. The idea of getting his own dog seemed to be all Adam could talk about, only stopping when he was told it was time to get ready for bed. It had taken Crowley promising that he would read him a bedtime story for the six year old to finally take off down the hall to get ready for bed.

Crowley was in the kitchen helping Lilith clean up, and he could feel her eyes on him. He wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to talk about, but he knew it was serious. He had become an expert of deciphering what her different stares felt like, and right now she was giving him the “we need to talk” stare.

“Go ahead and sssay it.” He said as he slowly turned to look at her.

“You realize our son knows what you look like, right?” Lilith crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’d hope ssso.” Crowley smirked, leaning against the counter.

“Don’t be a smartass, Anthony.”

Oh, he was definitely in trouble if she was using his first name.

“What were you thinking driving drunk?” she asked softly.

“I wasn’t…I wasn’t drunk. I had a few drinksss with the gang, but I wasss fine. ‘S not my fault if the these bloody gossip writersss pay the police to blow everything out of proportion.” Crowley explained.

“It doesn’t matter if you were actually drunk or not, you know how it’s going to look when you get pulled over. Or any time you have an interaction with the police.” Lilith sighed softly. “It’s not like I can explain away your pictures showing up when Adam does start noticing. Not many people have that stupid tattoo on their face.”

Crowley brought a hand up to rub at the small snake tattoo in front of his right ear. They had had this conversation enough times to know that there wasn’t anything he could really say to ease her concerns, especially when he shared those concerns. As much as he loved what he did, it didn’t allow for much privacy among certain circles; and sadly, some of those circles involved select entertainment media.

“And this is more than just getting pulled over the other day, Crowley.” Her voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he knew exactly what she was thinking about.

“I get carried away sometimesss, it happensss. You know that better than anyone.” Crowley said softly, knowing that he was offering up a weak explanation. “I’m not as bad as I have been, and I’m never like that with Adam. That’sss the important part, Lil.”

“I know, but you still…you getting carried away always attracts attention, Crowley. Especially after these last two years.” Lilith sighed as she walked over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders as she looked up at him. “I love you, Crowley. You are one of my best friends, and I just want you to start thinking about how your time away from our son affects everything. You need to start thinking about being less reckless even when you don’t have Adam.”

He opened his mouth to say something, closing it at the sound of running feet approaching them. Lilith gave him a soft smile as she moved away. They both turned to the entryway of the kitchen just as Adam skidded to a halt.

“Story time, Dad!” the six year old exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“You have too much energy, do you know that?” Crowley chuckled as he made his way to the boy, picking him up and kissing his cheek. “I can only do one ssstory before I have to leave for work, alright?”

“Only if you promise to tell Uncle Luc I love him. And everyone else too.” Adam said as he wrapped his arms around his father’s neck.

“’Course I will.” The red head promised as he walked towards his son’s room.

It had taken nearly half an hour before Adam finally fell asleep, Crowley carefully kissing the top of his head and whispering a goodnight. He made his way out of the bedroom to see Lilith waiting for him, a soft smile on her lips.

“I don’t want you thinking that I’m mad at you, or think you’re a terrible father. I just want to make sure that you don’t get too carried away that we lose you, Crowley.” She said softly as she looked at him.

“I know, and I appreciate the concern. But you two are ssstuck with me.” Crowley said, grinning at the playful groan she gave.

“Don’t remind me.” She teased as they made their way to the front door. “I should have picked someone who didn’t sound like a snake to be the father of my son.”

He just laughed as he opened the door. They shared a brief hug and Crowley had taken a few steps down the hall before Lilith’s voice grabbed his attention. He turned around to see her holding out the umbrella the blonde at the bookshop had given him.

“I didn’t even know you owned an umbrella.” Amusement filled her voice as he took the umbrella from her.

“I don’t. Thisss bloke at a bookshop I was in gave it to me after you called.” Crowley rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses at the smile on her face. “Giving an umbrella to a ssstranger doesn’t mean anything, Lil.”

“Maybe not, but now you have an excuse to go back and see if it could mean something.” She waggled her eyebrows and Crowley shook his head.

“Goodnight, Lilith.” He said pointedly as he turned around.

Her laughter followed him as he made his way to the lift, his mobile already in his hand as he ordered an Uber. When he arrived at Nine Circles twenty minutes later, he quickly grabbed his duffle bag from the boot of the Bentley and made his way to the downstairs office. His conversation with Lilith replayed in his mind and he made his way to the bar once he had changed. He couldn’t do his job if he was thinking about the concerns his lifestyle brought, and there was only one way for him to get into the proper mindset for the night. After a few starter shots, Crowley knew he would be good to go. Anything after that was just him doing his job.

And if he got carried away, he would just have Anathema or Newt take him back to his flat. As long as he didn’t drive or do anything to feed into the gossip about him, who cared what he did while in the nightclub?


	2. there's something lonesome about you, something so wholesome about you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley takes the time to return the umbrella to the blonde at the bookshop, unaware of the connection that will be formed.

The blaring of an alarm brought Crowley back from the dead sleep he had been in, an annoyed groan escaping him. His hand blindly fumbled around the bedside table until the alarm turned off. He felt around some more until his fingers brushed his mobile and he grabbed the device. Another groan left when he saw the time; half past nine was too early to be awake on a Sunday. But as much as he wanted to go back to sleep, he knew he wouldn’t be given a pass to skip the weekly brunch meeting.

Crowley rolled on to his back to stare at the ceiling for a moment as he summoned the willpower to leave the comfort of his bed. The first thing he was aware of when he finally made to get up was the way his body ached, it was different from the typical post-partying ache he familiar with. The other thing he was aware of was the pain shooting up and down his right leg. He ignored the constant notifications ringing from his mobile as he went about getting ready for the day, gingerly putting weight on his leg.

The sight of his reflection brought a pause to his morning routine, confusion washing over him as he took in the bruises on his jaw and around his left eye. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to recall the events of the previous night, but the only thing he could remember was fucking one of the many club-goers in his office. But judging by the faint bruising of his knuckles, Crowley could assume he had done some type of damage. He made a note to check his notifications for any hints of what had happened as he got into the shower.

By the time Crowley had finished getting ready for the day, a loud banging echoed throughout the flat. He winced as the pounding in his head increased the closer he got to the door. He threw open the door and glared at the mop of dark hair standing outside the flat, a cup of what smelt like coffee in each of their hands.

“Don’t give me that look, Crowley.” Ellie snapped at him, easily pushing past him despite the height difference.

“You don’t have to bang on the bloody door.” He grumbled as he took the coffee they held out to him. “Thanksss.”

“You look like shit.”

Crowley gave them a forced smile before taking a much-needed sip of the coffee. His eyes narrowed as his friend loudly sipped from their own coffee, and he knew the noises were being made on purpose.

“Have you been online yet?” Ellie asked.

“No, but let me guess.” Crowley set his coffee down and went to the kitchen, starting his routine of caring for the plants scattered throughout the spacious flat. “Whatever is being sssaid has sssomething to do with why my face is all bruised?”

The sound of shuffling filled the brief silence as Ellie dug for their mobile. Crowley glanced over his shoulder to see his friend most likely pulling up something up on the screen.

“Infamous party boy, Crowley, continues to raise hell in London’s nightlife. Photos and videos surface of a drunken fight with a club-goer outside of Nine Circles Nightclub.” Ellie read, putting on a peppy voice that made Crowley chuckle. “It seems as if all he knows how to do is cause trouble.”

“Did I at least have a good reason for fighting?” Crowley asked as he turned his attention back to his plants, his eyes narrowing when he noticed the slightly wilted look on a leaf.

“Ligur said your were defending a group of women that this creep wouldn’t leave alone.” Their voice held a hint of amusement. “I think you’d lose the bad boy title if these people knew the reason behind half of the shit you get in trouble for.”

“Probably.” He agreed and turned around to look at Ellie, a smirk on his face. “But then where would the fun be in that?”

Ellie shook their head even as a chuckle escaped. Silence settled over the two as Crowley went about caring for his plants, giving lectures to the few that needed; although one of the plants had earned a threat given as loud as Crowley could manage, much to the startled curiosity of Ellie. Just as Crowley made his way to his bedroom, he paused when a thought occurred to him.

“Did I drive home?” he turned back to look at his friend.

“Anathema dropped you off.” Ellie said, smiling at the relief that shone on Crowley’s face. “The Bentley’s still at the club.”

“Guess that meansss you get to be my driver thisss morning?” Crowley teased as he continued towards his bedroom, grabbing his mobile and sunglasses.

He came back from the room to see the glare on Ellie’s face, his grin dropping instantly. Despite their small stature, Ellie was definitely the most intimidating of the group and that had everything to do with their lack of fear.

“Let’s go before I decided to leave your dumbass to walk.” They threatened before heading towards the door.

Crowley slipped his sunglasses on and grabbed his coffee, preparing for whatever teasing he would get from everyone about the fight.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The meeting had gone by smoothly, with only small amount of teasing at Crowley’s expense. Upcoming events had been discussed and suggested, as well as future lineups. Crowley had mostly stayed quiet as he drank the mimosa he had ordered, hoping that the small amount of alcohol would help ease the intensity of his hangover.

By the time noon had rolled around, everyone had pretty much finished their food and drinks. There was a small amount of arguing when it came time to pick a place to get dinner before the club opened that night before Lucian stepped in a made the decision to have everyone meet at the posh Italian resturant around the corner from Nine Circles.

“Crowley, let me drop you off at the club.” Lucian offered as the group left to do whatever it was they did before work.

“’Spose you want to give me the lecture that Lilith isss going to me tomorrow?” Crowley smirked as he walked with his boss.

“She’s kill me if she knew I lectured you.” The older man laughed softly. “I can’t take away the one thing my baby sister looks forward to, can I?”

Crowley rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses as he walked around to the passenger side of the car, looking at Lucian expectantly as he waited for the door to unlock. It took a few moments for Crowley to actually get into the car, grumbling about Lucian’s immaturity at keeping him locked out of the car.

“You can’t really call me immature when you’re the more immature than I am.” The older man chuckled as he pulled the car out into the road, heading towards the club.

“I’ve never locked you out of a car.” Crowley pointed out and reached towards the radio, jerking his hand back at the slap he received.

“My car, I pick the music.” Lucian reminded. “Besides, I did want to talk to you about that fight.”

Crowley glanced over at his friend and held his breath. The idea that this was the final straw for Lucian crossed his mind, and he felt the panic at the idea that he was about to be fired settled on his chest. He wasn’t too worried about finding another club to work for if that was the case, but he knew he wouldn’t have it as good as he did at Nine Circles; he knew no one else in the nightlife industry would be able to put up with him the way Lucian and everyone else did.

“Crowley, breathe. I’m not mad. Ligur told me what happened and honestly, you would get into a drunken fight protecting strangers.” Lucian assured, looking over long enough to flash a smile at Crowley. “And I will tell Lilith exactly what happened.”

“Should minimize the damage.” Crowley nodded as he turned to look out the window.

“I do think you should take the night off tonight.” Lucian said after a moment. “Your whole section is already booked, and the Gang’s more than capable of taking care of it.”

“I don’t need the night off, Luc. I’m a little banged up, but I’ve had worst.” The red head said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“I wasn’t asking, Anthony. Take the night off.”

Crowley turned to look at Lucian, narrowing his eyes slightly. There wasn’t any hint that the older man was upset, if anything there was nothing but concern coming from Lucian. Nights off were rare in the industry, especially for someone who drew attention the way Crowley did; and considering this was his week to have Adam until Friday morning, the extra rest would allow him to wait out the pain in his leg. After a moment, Crowley just nodded and went back to looking out the window.

“Thank you, Crowley.” Lucian said softly. “Besides, you can spend the rest of the day preparing your flat for that dog you and Lilith promised Adam.”

“Don’t remind me.” Crowley playfully groaned, although he couldn’t stop the excited grin from spreading on his face.

The rest of the relatively short drive was filled with guesses as to what kind of dog Adam would pick, and what the six year old would name said dog. As funny as it would be to see the small boy with a big dog, Crowley knew his son enough to know that Adam would most likely pick the smallest dog he found.

“What makes you think Adam would get a small dog?” Lucian asked he pulled up next to the Bentley.

“Well, I know my ssson for one thing.” Crowley grinned as he got out the car, ducking down enough to look at Lucian. “But mainly because he’d pick one that was sssmall like him.”

The two men shared a laugh and said a quick goodbye; Lucian promising that he would call Crowley if he was absolutely needed at the club. A small smile appeared on his face when he saw that someone (most likely Anathema) had put his duffle bag into the back seat. He tilted his head when he noticed the umbrella sitting back there as well, his eyes glancing up to see that it didn’t look as if it was going to rain.

“I probably should return it.” He muttered to himself. “’S only around the corner, after all.”

Although one throb of pain from his knee reminded him that walking to the bookshop again was probably not a good idea. It didn’t take long until he was pulling out of the car park, speeding off in the direction he had gone the day before. The fact that he didn’t know the name of the shop didn’t seem to phase him as he glanced at the buildings he passed by, tires squealing as he came to a stop when he saw the faded red he recalled being the front of the bookshop.

Ignoring the honks of the cars around him, Crowley managed to find a placed to park along side the curb across from the shop. He reached into the back and grabbed the umbrella, quickly getting out of the Bentley and locking the door. His legs carried him the short distance across the street as fast they could, once again ignoring the other cars around him. He glanced up at the faded golden letters above the shop door, _A. Z. Fell And Co._ stood out on the wood.

The sound of the small bell above his head rang out as he entered the shop, standing by the door with the umbrella resting on his shoulder. The sudden thought that, much like the day before, he looked completely out of place in the bookshop with his black jeans, faded Queen shirt, and scuffed Doc Martins; he was faintly aware that he might look less out of place if he was wearing what he normally wore for work. He quickly shook his head, wondering why it even mattered if he looked like he belong or not; it was a stuffy old bookshop, not the Ritz.

“Can I help…oh, it’s you again.” The blonde appeared seemingly from nowhere again.

“I wanted to return your umbrella.” Crowley took a few steps further into the shop, holing out the object.

“Oh. Um, thank…thank you.” The other man said in a tone that told Crowley he hadn’t expected to see the umbrella again.

“I wasss in the neighborhood, and I figured…why not?”

It amused Crowley how surprised the blonde was at the gesture, and a small part of him bristled with pride at deciding to actually return the object. Honey eyes watched from behind the dark lenses as the other man took the umbrella, walking over to place it behind the counter Crowley hadn’t noticed before.

“Did you make it to your meeting on time?” the question seemed to only be asked to fill the silence, but there was a hint of genuine curiosity in the man’s voice.

“Yeah, I did. Thank you again.” Crowley said as he walked over to the counter. “What you did…it wasss very kind of you.”

“You said it was important, and I wouldn’t want anyone to miss something important if I can help it.” The blonde gave a soft smile and Crowley couldn’t help but return it.

“I never got your name.” the red head said, his eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses at how sudden the statement seemed.

“No, I don’t suppose you did.” The blonde chuckled as he made his way into the bookshelves that made up the romance section.

Crowley stood by the counter for a moment before following the other man. He watched as the blonde sorted through one of the stacks on a cart, humming a small tune to himself. It didn’t take long for Crowley to realize that the man wasn’t going to offer up his name, and he wasn’t even sure why it mattered at this point.

‘_Well, he knows my name. Seems only fair that I know his._’ He thought with a slight frown.

“What doesss A. Z. Fell stand for, exactly?” Crowley asked.

“It’s the initials of my name, as well as a play on my fist name.” the other man replied as he glanced over his shoulder at Crowley. “Why do you need to know my name?”

“I want to know exactly who I’m thanking.” Crowley shrugged as he looked down at his feet. “And I’m not really in the business of interacting with strangersss, even if it’s only for a conversation or two.”

“I doubt I’m the sort you’d willingly interact with.” The statement drew Crowley’s attention back to the man. “You gave me your business card, so I looked you up. I wanted to know exactly what a club promoter did. You’ve made quite a name for yourself.”

All Crowley could do was nod slightly, not entirely surprised to know that his nightlife image had found its way into an old bookshop that didn’t make sense for him to be in. His reputation had never bothered him before, not when those he called family knew him better than anyone else. However, it would be nice to be able to have a conversation with someone without being judged for his actions.

“You make a few bad choicesss when you’re younger, and then you get labeled a bad boy for life.” Crowley mumbled, his hand rubbing at the back of his neck. “Anywaysss…I jussst wanted to return your umbrella. Have a nice day.”

He had taken a few steps towards the front door when the other man’s voice stopped him.

“Aziraphale.” A shy smile was on his face when Crowley turned back around. “My name is Aziraphale Fell.”

“Azira…your parentsss actually named you Aziraphale when your last name is Fell?” he couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice, even when the blonde sent him a look Crowley could only label as quiet annoyance. “I’m sssorry, but that jussst…it jussst…”

“My parents didn’t name that, the very religious orphanage I was placed in did.” Aziraphale corrected, a small huff joining the expression and Crowley couldn’t help but think of the blonde as anything but adorable. “Every infant that was brought there was named after some type of religious figure. I was named after an angel.”

“I can sssee why.” The words came out before Crowley could stop himself. “I jussst meant because you…the…the blonde curlsss and…you’re very angel like.”

He could feel the heat rising to his face, despite the amused look that took over the annoyed one on Aziraphale’s face.

“It was a coincidence that the couple that adopted me had the last name Fell.” He continued as if Crowley hadn’t interrupted.

“That’s good. Not that you were up for adoption, but…I meant, it’sss good you got adopted.” Crowley found himself stumbling over his words. “Better than growing up in foster care.”

Crowley’s mouth snapped shut before he could say anything else, turning to look at the shelf nearest to him. He had a strict personal policy about sharing his personal life with strangers; not just because it went against the image he worked hard to build, but because he didn’t know who would use information against him online. He was normally better at not hinting towards his personal life, but he had found himself feeling comfortable in the bookshop.

“Ssso, Aziraphale…my one time guardian angel, what made you buy a bookshop?” Crowley mentally slapped himself for how awkward the question was as he turned to look back at the other man, a faint blush on the blonde’s cheeks.

“It’s quiet, and I’m left alone for the most part. Well, besides the few customers here and there.” Aziraphale answered.

“Bit too quiet, if you asked me.” The red head said as leaned against the bookshelf.

He gave a sheepish smile at the look Aziraphale gave him before pushing off of the shelf, his hands diving into the pockets of his jeans. A silence hung between them and Crowley could feel the awkwardness creeping in.

“Why did you get into the nightlife business?” Aziraphale asked after a moment, the sincerity of the question shining in his steel blue eyes.

“I jussst…I fell into it.” Crowley shrugged slightly. “I went to clubsss that had eighteen and over eventsss, and I jussst…I ended up hanging around the right people, and…here I am.”

“You just partied enough until you started getting paid for it?” the blonde furrowed his brow slightly.

“If you want to sssimplify it.” The red head drawled. “I do more than jussst party. I’m constantly on social media promoting the club I work for, promoting for partner clubsss, getting word out about a new place or DJ or…I do a lot of promoting. And I have to book tablesss and convince people to ssspend money they really can’t afford to spend on bottle service…it isss an art.”

“You tempt people into living a lifestyle they can’t afford, is what I’m hearing.” Aziraphale said with a pointed look.

Crowley waved his right hand vaguely as he tripped over his words, stalling until he could think of a better explanation for what he did. But the truth was, Aziraphale was right; he made a living off of tempting people to live a life of luxury for a few hours. How was this stranger able to pinpoint his job so well after a brief conversation?

“That’sss…that is one way of looking at it. I guess.” Crowley finally said. “But it’sss not like I force anyone to do anything. I’m there to encourage them and make sure they have a good time. If that meansss they buy the most expensive bottle we have, who am I to tell them no?”

“What if that money they spend on something like means they can’t afford food for a week, or something?” Aziraphale asked.

“If that were the case, then they wouldn’t have come out to the club with a book table.” Crowley pointed out.

The two looked at each other and Crowley smirked when Aziraphale sighed, muttering something under his breath. The red head slowly walked over to the cart that was next to the blonde, tilting his head to the side as he looked at some of the covers he could see.

“But it isn’t alwaysss like that.” Crowley said as he looked back at Aziraphale. “Sometimesss I promote eventsss at lounges. Maybe next time I have to be at one, I’ll take you. That way you can sssee exactly what I do.”

“Thank you, but I’ll have to decline.” Aziraphale said with a tight smile. “The nightlife scene is not for me.”

“Alright, maybe not an event. But there is a lounge that I think you would like.” The red head said as he watched the other man.

Aziraphale raised an eyebrow as he looked at Crowley. A moment passed before the blonde went back to sorting through the cart, Crowley taking a small step back to watch him again.

“I’m sure, but…as I said, that lifestyle isn’t for me.” Aziraphale repeated.

“Well, if you change your mind you have my business card.” Crowley grinned. “I’ll let you get back to your job.”

“I won’t change my mind.” The blonde glanced up as he looked at the red head.

“You sssay that, but I do tempt people for a living.” He smirked as he looked at the blonde, his smirk growing into a smile at the blush appearing on the other man’s face.

A small sound came from Aziraphale, and it was clear that he was absorbed in whatever it was that he was doing. Crowley paused for a moment longer before turning back to walk towards the shop’s door. His eyes took in the different sections around him, making a mental note to find some reason to come back to the stuffy bookshop.

Although he didn’t really know why he would want to come back, it wasn’t as if he was much of a reader. He tried to be to set an example for Adam, but the best he could manager was books on space and astronomy and gardening. The books he read his son at bedtime didn’t count because what sort of father didn’t read to their child? A grin came to his face as the perfect excuse to come back to the shop formed.

He could always go back to buy new books for bedtime, maybe even bring Adam so the boy could pick out the books himself; Crowley had found that Adam tended to respond better when he picked out what to read himself. And bringing Adam would be a good way for them to spend an afternoon, and to further encourages the six year old to get passionate about reading.

Crowley’s thoughts quickly turned towards what he had planned for his days with Adam that week, wanting to make the most of their days since school would be starting back up in the next few weeks. He smiled to himself as he ran over what he was planning to do with Adam the following day. He had made sure to plan activities that would allow the boy to bring his dog along, knowing that his son would not want to leave his pet’s side.

Feeling confident in his plans, Crowley started the Bentley and pulled away from where he had parked. It really was a miracle that he would make it to his flat without anything happening to him or the public around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These boys are going to be a completely different type of idiot from my last fic, which means the Angst is going to be completely different as well lol I had some trouble concentrating on writing this chapter purely because if I wasn't out bowling with friends then I was slowly getting sick and watching Disney+.
> 
> However, with that said- thank you to everyone who's read/commented/subscribed/bookmarks/left a kudos on this fic so far. I've been super anxious since it is so different from Boomerang, but you guys have been entirely too kind to me and I love all of you for that :D
> 
> I'm not entirely sure when the next update will be since I just found out this morning I have to leave my apartment for 2 weeks on Monday and have no idea where I'm gonna be living during that time. So fun times at the moment for me.
> 
> As always you can find me on Tumblr at a-rare-gift, on Twitter at doitlikedamien, and on Ko-fi at doitlikedamien


	3. there's just something 'bout you i know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An afternoon in the park forces Crowley to cross paths with Aziraphale once again.

The sounds of laughter and barking drew Crowley’s attention to the six year old boy and three month old puppy next to him, a grin spreading on his face as he watched Adam play with the black and white Jack Russell Terrier he had picked out the day before; of course, Crowley didn’t understand the six year old’s logic behind naming the puppy Dog but he also wasn’t going to make his son feel bad for the name.

The weather had been too nice to stay indoors, so Crowley had decided on an afternoon in the park with a small picnic planned for when they got hungry. A few toys had been brought along so Adam could play with Dog, who was on a retractable lead so the puppy could have some type of freedom in running around. Although Crowley had to admit to himself that he was impressed the puppy wasn’t interested in trying to run off.

“I’m gonna teach Dog all sorts of tricks.” Adam announced as he plopped down on the blanket that was spread out, grinning as Dog jumped into his lap. “You’re gonna be the smartest, right boy?”

“’Course he’ll be the sssmartest. You’re his owner, and you’re the sssmartest son I have.” Crowley smiled as he looked over at Adam.

“I’m your only son, Dad!” the six year old giggled as he fell against his father’s side.

“Not true. You’ve got tonsss of brothers.” Crowley teased.

“The plants don’t count.”

Crowley lightly bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as he looked at his son, who was staring right back at him. From the corner of his eye he noticed Dog looking at them, his head tilted slightly to the left. He waited until Adam couldn’t hide his smile anymore to reach out and ruffle the unruly mop of curls on his head.

“Don’t let the plantsss hear you sssay that.” Crowley chuckled as he moved his hand to scratch behind one of Dog’s ears. “What are you going to teach Dog first?”

Adam’s face scrunched up as he thought over the question, and Crowley couldn’t help but chuckle at how much like Lilith the six year old looked. It still amazed him how much Adam seemed to be the perfect blend of his parents, although Crowley always saw more of Lilith in their son; and if anyone asked her, Lilith would say she saw more of Crowley in Adam.

“I’m gonna teach him to say hello!” Adam’s voice pulled Crowley out of his thoughts, his bright smile suddenly dropping. “How am I gonna teach him things when I’m at school?”

“Your mum and me can make sure he doesn’t forget anything.” Crowley said, pushing his sunglasses up to the top of his head. “We’ll treat it like Dog’s homework and make sure he staysss on top of it.”

“Promise?” Adam asked he looked up at his father.

“Have I ever lied to you?” the red head asked.

“No, but you could always start now.” The six year old said as he did his best to look skeptical of Crowley. “Or you could be lying now and I don’t even know it.”

“Oh, you are absolutely right Adam. I could be lying about being your dad.” Crowley shrugged, hiding his smirk at the look of confusion on his son’s face. “I could really jussst be a demon who eatsss little boysss named Adam.”

Crowley quickly lunged forward and began tickling Adam’s sides, doing his best impression of a demon. The six year old squirmed under his father and laughed loudly. Dog seemed to have felt left out and jumped in to join the fun, licking Adam’s face and playfully nipping at Crowley’s hands.

“You are powerless against me, tiny human.” Crowley said in a gravelly voice, grinning at the delight on Adam’s face. “Not even your great beast can sssave you now.”

“You can’t eat me, demon!” Adam laughed as he tried to bat his father’s hands away.

“And why not? Isss your name not Adam?” Crowley paused in his tickling as he looked down at the boy.

“Nope!” he shook his head as he smirked. “It’s AJ.”

Crowley sat back and raised an eyebrow, placing his hands on his hips. Adam giggled and jumped to his feet as Dog got between father and son, his tail wagging violently.

“AJ? Where did you get that name?” Crowley asked, doing his best to seem confused.

“’S my initials! And I go by that so demons like you can’t eat me.” Adam gave one curt nod, his chest puffing out in triumph for a moment before he leaned forward. “It’s just pretend, Dad. I don’t like going by AJ.”

“Phew! You are an amazing actor, kiddo.” Crowley grinned. “I can sssee it now, the name Adam James Crowley in lightsss.”

Adam laughed before looking down at the puppy jumping at his feet. Crowley watched as his son grinned before grabbing one of the toys and playing with Dog. Crowley settled back on to the blanket and pulled out his mobile, recording Adam and Dog. It was another fifteen minutes before the six year old sat back down and pulled out some of the snacks that had been packed.

“Don’t share your snacksss with Dog.” Crowley did his best to hide his laughter at the overly innocent look on both Adam and Dog’s faces.

“But Dog’s hungry too.” Adam whined slightly.

“I brought puppy snacksss too, don’t worry.” The red head shook his head and reached into the bag he had packed before leaving, pulling out the small baggie of dog treats he had brought. “He only getsss a few.”

He gently shook his head when Adam playfully waved him off. Part of Crowley knew he should say something about the slight sass the six year old had given with the gesture, but there was no harm with a little banter. And he also didn’t want Adam to think that he couldn’t be playful like that.

“Dad, can I ask you something? And you have to promise not to get mad.” Adam said softly after a few moments, his eyes focused on his lap.

“I’ll never get mad at you for asking questionsss, Adam.” Crowley looked over at the boy, already having a feeling about what he wanted to talk about.

Ever since Lilith had dropped him off, Adam kept glancing at the bruises on Crowley’s face when he thought his father wouldn’t notice. As much as he wanted to make sure Adam knew he was okay, Crowley also didn’t want his son to feel as if he had been caught doing something bad so he had decided to wait until the six year old brought it up. After all, he knew Adam’s curiosity would win out sooner or later.

“What happened to your face?” Adam turned to look at his father. “Mummy said you got into a fight at work but you guys always said fighting’s bad, so you couldn’t have been in a fight. Right?”

“Well…sometimesss fighting isn’t bad.” Crowley drawled as he ran his fingers through his hair. “If you’re defending yourself, or anyone who is being harassed, then fighting isn’t bad.”

“But Mum said never to fight, no matter what.” The six year old said, his hand running lightly over Dog’s back.

“Technically, your mum’s right about that. But if the other person hitsss you first, and you’ve done everything else to try and defuse the situation…sometimesss you don’t have any other choice but to fight back.”

Crowley watched as Adam looked at the blanket they were sitting on, and he could almost see the imaginary wheels turning in his son’s head. He waited a few more moments to see if Adam would say anything before continuing, doing his best to explain the concept of self-defense to his son.

“The fight I got into at work happened because thisss bloke wouldn’t leave a group of women alone. He didn’t know them, and they didn’t want him around but he kept bothering them and saying thingsss that you should never sssay to women.” Crowley explained softly, his eyes never leaving the six year old. “We had told him several timesss to leave them alone, and I had to get him out of Uncle Luc’s club. The guy didn’t like that and he hit me, and he kept trying to hit me.”

“So…you hit him back?” Adam asked softly, his blue eyes lifting to look at his father. “And that was okay…because you didn’t have a choice?”

“It was okay because I was defending myself.” Crowley nodded as he gave Adam a soft smile. “If you were to ever get into a fight because you were defending yourself, or your friendsss, then it’s okay. Do you understand, Adam?”

Adam chewed on his lower lip as he nodded his head slightly, although there was still a small amount of confusion in his eyes.

“I won’t get in trouble for fighting if I get hit first, or if I’m helping someone else who’s being picked on?” the six year old tilted his eyes to the side.

“You might get in trouble at school for it, but you won’t get in trouble with me or your mum.” Crowley promised. “There’s nothing bad about defending yourself and your friendsss.”

Adam nodded again and Crowley could see that the boy understood what he had been told. He smiled before reaching out to pull the boy closer to him, hugging him slightly and placing a kiss on top of Adam’s head. A few moments passed as father and son hugged each other, only broken up when Dog nuzzled his way between the two and licking their faces.

“We love you too, Dog.” Adam giggled as he wrapped his arms around the puppy. “Right, Dad?”

“’Course we do.” Crowley grinned as gave Dog a few pats on top of his head.

The rest of the afternoon had been filled with more laughter and a few games between father and son, Dog watching from his spot on the blanket once Crowley had found a way to secure the puppy’s lead. Crowley had decided to call it a day when Dog began barking at the passing ducks, trying his best to run after them.

“Make sure you hold on tight, Adam.” Crowley said as he packed up their things, glancing at the six year old. “We don’t want Dog to run off.”

“He won’t run off.” Adam assured, slightly adjusting his grip as Dog tried to chase the ducks once again. “Dog, stop! You gotta be good.”

“Jussst because he’s trying to run after the ducks doesn’t mean he isn’t good, Adam.” The red head said gently, standing up and taking his son’s free hand. “He’s a puppy, and puppies like to chase thingsss. ‘S how they learn.”

Crowley listened as Adam excitedly talked about the last few chapters Lilith had read him during bedtime, making sure to pay attention so he would know what was going on in the book when it came time for bed that night. Crowley also made sure to keep his eye on Dog as the puppy kept pulling at his lead, barking and lunging at the ducks ahead of them. Before he could remind Adam to keep a tight grip, Dog gave a particularly hard lunge and was suddenly running off towards a group of ducks.

“Dog!” Adam yelled as he took off running after the puppy.

“Adam!” Crowley took off after his son, mentally yelling at himself for not holding Dog’s lead.

The two chased after the puppy as Dog ran full speed at the ducks, which were now making their way into the water. Adam called after Dog as he somehow managed to run faster, trying to reach him before he decided to jump into the water. Crowley was already preparing himself to jump in after the puppy, knowing this was not the time to find out if dogs had the instinct to swim or not.

“Dog, stop!” Adam cried as he tripped over his feet.

Crowley quickly reached out and grabbed his son before he could fall face first to the ground. Of course, that meant both father and son had stopped moving towards Dog who had decided to turn towards the water. The red head held his breath as his son tore out of his grip and ran after the puppy again, yelling for Dog to stop just as the Jack Russell Terrier made to jump after the ducks.

There was no sound of water splashing and Crowley noticed that someone had grabbed the puppy, holding Dog tight as Adam approached. Crowley ran up to the helpful stranger, his hands resting on Adam’s shoulder as both tried to catch their breath.

“Thank you for…” Crowley trailed off once he realized who was holding the squirming puppy. “Hello, Aziraphale.”

The blonde looked up from Adam, his eyes widening slightly when he saw Crowley.

“Oh! Um…hello…uh….” There was something cute about the light embarrassed blush spreading on the blonde’s face.

“Crowley.” He supplied, a look of amusement on his face.

“Right…Crowley.” Aziraphale said before turning to look at the puppy he was holding. “I’m assuming this pup belongs to you?”

“Dog’s mine.” Adam said before blushing slightly when he felt his father nudge him slightly. “I mean, thanks for catching him for me.”

“You’re very welcome, dear boy.” Aziraphale smiled as he carefully handed over Dog.

Adam gently set Dog on the ground before letting his father hold on to the lead, kneeling down so he could look at the puppy. Crowley smiled slightly as he listened to the six year old softly scold Dog for running off. He looked back at Aziraphale and gave him a grateful smile.

“You might be my son’sss new personal hero.” Crowley chuckled softly. “Dog wasss his birthday gift and, well…I would have had a devastated six year old if you hadn’t caught him.”

“Your son?” Aziraphale’s brow furrowed slightly as he looked from Crowley to Adam. “That’s your son?”

“You sssound surprised.” Crowley smirked as glanced down at the six year old just in time to see him hug Dog tightly.

“I’m not. I just…didn’t expect someone in your…profession to have a child.”

Crowley smiled in amusement as he watched the blonde get himself flustered, and he found himself wanting to see how else he could get Aziraphale to fluster. But before he could even think about acting out that small impulse, Adam had stood up and stared at the blonde.

“Do you work with my dad?” he asked, seemingly not caring if he was interrupting a conversation or not.

“Um, no. Definitely not.” Aziraphale cleared his throat slightly as he turned his attention to the boy.

“How do you know him then?” Adam’s arms crossed over his chest as he stared up at the blonde.

“Well, he came into my bookshop the other day…”

“Dad doesn’t go into bookshops unless he’s with me.” The six year old interrupted.

Crowley sighed softly and gave a slight apologetic look to the other man before he gently nudged his son.

“Adam, don’t be rude.” Crowley said once Adam was looking at him. “Mr. Fell lent me his umbrella when I got ssstuck in his shop on your birthday.”

The words had barely gotten out before Adam’s attention was back on Aziraphale, a wide grin on his face. Crowley couldn’t help but chuckle at the excitement on his son’s face, and at the slight confusion on Aziraphale’s face.

“Thank you for helping my dad not be late for my birthday.” Adam said before rushing forward, hugging Aziraphale as best as he could. “I thought he was going to miss it like last time.”

“Oh, um…well, he told me it was important that he was there.” Aziraphale stammered slightly, looking to Crowley with panic in his eyes.

“Adam, don’t scare off Mr. Fell.” Crowley smiled, laughing when Dog jumped up in an attempt to join the hug. “He might not let me take you to his bookshop tomorrow.”

“What kind of books do you sell?” Adam suddenly asked as he took a few steps back towards his father. “Are they fun books?”

“All books are fun.” Aziraphale actually looked slightly offended at the question, and Crowley couldn’t help but chuckle.

When Adam launched into his small rant about how tell a fun book from a boring book, Crowley’s chuckle turned into a soft laugh. He watched the two go back and forth, and he was aware that he should be playing a more active role in the conversation considering that Aziraphale was technically a stranger. But there was something about the blonde that put Crowley at ease, something that told him he could take a brief walk and not need to worry about his son’s safety.

Maybe that made him foolish and too trusting, but he had always been a rather good judge of character for the most part. Not that he actually was going to leave his son completely alone with a stranger, he wasn’t an idiot despite what some of the public thought.

“Can I bring Dog into your shop, Mr. Fell?” Adam’s sudden change in topic pulled Crowley back from his thoughts. 

“We can leave Dog with Bee or Aunt Daisy.” Crowley cut in when he noticed Aziraphale struggling to come up with an answer.

“Bee won’t watch him.” Adam pointed out as he glanced at his father.

“Maybe they will if you ask.” The red head grinned. “You can call them when we get home, alright?”

Adam nodded excitedly before kneeling down to pet Dog again, giggling when the puppy licked his face. Crowley looked at Aziraphale and gave a small shrug; although he wasn’t sure why he had done that, or why it mattered enough to analyze why he had shrugged.

“Think it’ll be alright if we come by tomorrow afternoon?” Crowley asked as he adjusted his grip on Dog’s lead, his free hand diving into the pocket of his jeans.

“As long as you’re there during business hours.” Aziraphale said before a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “And as long as your son doesn’t say my books are boring.”

“I won’t have to if they if they’re not boring.” The six year old pointed out as he continued to pet Dog.

“We’ll sssee you tomorrow then, Aziraphale.” Crowley chuckled as he playfully nudged Adam with his foot. “C’mon, kid.”

“Bye, Mr. Fell!” Adam waved before taking off towards where the Bentley was parked.

“Goodbye, Adam.” Aziraphale laughed softly as he watched the boy run off, his attention going back to Crowley. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Crowley.”

Crowley rolled his eyes and shook his head as he slowly made his way after his son, waving his own goodbye to Aziraphale. It didn’t long for him and Dog to reach the Bentley. Adam was bouncing impatiently as he watched his father approach.

“You take forever to walk!” Adam groaned, throwing his head back and sighing loudly.

“Get in the back, goofball.” Crowley laughed and playfully pushed the boy’s head, opening the door and adjusting the driver’s seat forward enough for Adam to climb back. “Remember, keep Dog in your lap or the blanket.”

“I know, I know.” The six year old grumbled as he held the puppy to him.

Crowley shook his head and ducked into the Bentley, wasting no time in starting the vehicle and pulling on to the road. He smirked as he turned the radio up loud enough for Adam to hear what was playing; he was glad, not for the first time, that his ex had had the foresight to modernize the inside of the vintage car before giving it to Crowley. His smirk turned into a grin as Adam softly sang along with Freddie Mercury, his fingers running through a sleeping Dog’s fur.

It hadn’t taken long for Crowley to pull the Bentley into his parking spot by his flat, and he had paused for a moment to take in the sight of Adam fast asleep in the back with an equally fast asleep puppy cuddled up in his lap. He had been so afraid when he found out he was going to be a father and, as much as he hated to think about it, had even considering giving up his rights as father. But he was beyond glad that he had decided to run into fatherhood head first, especially when he got to create memories of a perfect day with the six year old in the backseat.

“Are we home?” Adam muttered as he sleepily lifted his head, rubbing at his eyes.

“We are. Have a good nap?” Crowley smiled as he got out of the Bentley, helping Adam get out with Dog.

“I wasn’t taking a nap.” Adam grumbled as he held the still sleeping puppy to him. “I was busy recreating the world in my head.”

“’S that what you were doing? Well then, tell me all about your new world when we get inside.”

Adam grinned up at his father and waited for Crowley to grab the bag he had packed earlier in the day, the two quickly making their way inside the building and up to the flat. By the time they had walked through the door, Adam was fully awake as if he had never dozed off and was animatedly talking about the world he had recreated. Crowley grinned as he listened to his son, thinking about what books he would see about buying from Aziraphale’s shop when they went the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus, this past week has honestly been something of a roller coaster for me so I'm so sorry for the delay in an update for this.
> 
> But enough about me, we're here for our boys. I wanted this chapter to be mainly filled with good things and not even I was prepared for how cute some of these scenes turned out. Me making Crowley be Adam's dad so last minute was probably one of the best things my little lizard brain came up with tbh. Crowley's little explanation of self-defense is basically how my dad explained that concept to me when I was six or seven, and honestly typing it out made me realize how jumbled it had been. It's amazing that I understood what he was saying lol
> 
> And now there is a valid excuse for Crowley to see more of Aziraphale, so we'll see what happens from here on out. But no matter what, you can be certain that they will be dumbasses around each other and gay disasters lol
> 
> As always you can find me on Tumblr at a-rare-gift, on Twitter at doitlikedamien, and you can further support me on Ko-fi at doitlikedamien


	4. he talks like a gentleman, like you imagined when you were young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected relationship between Crowley and Aziraphale forms over the course of several visits to A.Z. Fell and Co.

Crowley laughed softly as he listened to Adam passionately explain what made a book not boring, and how Aziraphale needed to get more not boring books in his shop. He glanced over from the shelf he was scanning to see Aziraphale shaking his head slightly as Adam held up his fingers for every point he had to make. This was how the last fifteen minutes had passed, and the red head was enjoying it far too much.

It had taken all of five minutes for Crowley to know that visiting the bookshop would become a regular thing by the way Adam’s face had lit up when they first arrived. After that, Adam had been at Aziraphale’s side the entire time as the blonde showed him around the shop and Crowley had found it amusing how quickly his son had taken to the bookseller; of course, Adam was normally friendly and seemed to get along with anyone he met.

“You can’t possibly know that _Treasure Island_ is boring without having read it.” Aziraphale said as he looked at the six year old, his hands on his hips and his lips pursed slightly. “It has pirates and adventure and…”

“And it’s an old book. All old books are boring, Mr. Fell.” Adam sighed as he made a sweeping gesture with his arms. “If you’d pay attention, you would have heard me say that already.”

“Well then, see if I recommend any books when you can’t find anything to read.” Aziraphale huffed slightly.

If there was any worry that Adam had somehow upset the older man, the smile on Aziraphale’s face put to rest any of that concern. Crowley shook his head slightly as he watched the two stare at each other for a moment, Adam grinning in triumph when Aziraphale looked towards Crowley.

“Your son is quickly going to run out of books if he won’t read the classics.” The blonde huffed again as he teasingly glared at Adam, who simply giggled.

“What can I sssay? He’s ssstubborn just like hisss mum.” Crowley chuckled as he leaned against the bookshelf. “He getsss the devilishly charming trait from me.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Aziraphale narrowed his eyes slightly and glared at Crowley, giving him a grateful smile when the red head pushed himself off of the bookshelf.

“You don’t think he’s charming?” Crowley watched as Adam scanned the books in the children’s section, muttering something to himself.

“Oh, he absolutely is.” Aziraphale said with a smile. “But I don’t know if I’d call you charming, Crowley.”

Crowley turned his attention to the blonde, an eyebrow peaking over the top of his Valentino sunglasses. He didn’t know why, but he took the statement as a challenge and was determined to charm Aziraphale. And that thought alone surprised him simply because he shouldn’t care if the blonde found him to be charming or not, especially when he considered that the had only ever really talked to Aziraphale three times before now.

“Guess I’ll have to prove you wrong then.” Crowley smirked slightly.

“I’m no longer in my partying days, Crowley. Nightclubs and…and bebop isn’t charming to me.” Aziraphale waved his hand slightly as he made his way over to a stack of books, starting to put them on to an empty shelf.

“What the hell is bebop?” Crowley turned to look at the other man, making sure to listen out for any trouble that Adam might decide to cause.

“All that…techno music.” Aziraphale glanced over at Crowley as if the red head should have instantly known what he had meant.

“First of all, it’s not…call it EDM, house music…club music, if nothing else.” Crowley shoved his hands into his pockets as he stared at the blonde. “But bebop? I don’t think I’ve heard anyone use that as a way to describe any type of music.”

Aziraphale merely shrugged as he continued to put away the stack of books. Crowley glanced over to see Adam had settled on to the floor with a book in his hands, seemingly engrossed in whatever he was reading. He made his way over to the other man, a slight smirk on his face.

“I don’t think you ever had parting daysss, to be honest.” Crowley drawled as he scanned the shelves. “I mean, you own a bookshop and dress like you belong in the fortiesss.”

“Those days were rather short lived for me, but I assure you I did have a partying phase.” Aziraphale said as he watched Crowley carefully pull a book from its place on the shelf. “Although I’m rather positive that my partying days were very different from what yours are.”

Crowley slowly turned around to look at the blonde, an amused look clear on his face despite the sunglasses. He wasn’t sure if Aziraphale was aware of how snobbish he sounded, but regardless Crowley found himself intrigued by the bookseller. 

“Why do you sssay that?” the red head asked as he casually flipped through the book he had grabbed. “The nightlife scene hasn’t changed that much, and I doubt you’re that much older than me.”

“It’s not that it’s changed much, but the company I kept was most likely different. Well, that and the sort of places we went to.” The blonde looked over at Crowley. “The company I kept had a certain…elegance and refinery about what we were doing. Any gossip about us didn’t include drunken fights and destroying property.”

“Were you part of that posh crowd that got pissed and did designer drugsss because you wanted to flaunt your wealth?” Crowley rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. “Fancied yourself a modern bright young thing?”

“I didn’t do the drugs, and I hardly got as drunk as others.” Aziraphale corrected, a shy smile appearing on his face. “And as I said, it was short lived for me. I didn’t exactly fit in with that crowd.”

Crowley merely nodded and placed the book back from where he had pulled it off the shelf. He stood for a moment as he watched Aziraphale put away the last book, a slow smile appearing on his face.

“’S not so different from me, actually. I don’t do drugsss anymore, and even when I did it was only the party drugsss and only whenever I went out.” Cowley put his hands back into his pockets, giving a shrug at the curious look on Aziraphale’s face. “I don’t hide my past, mainly because almost everyone in the nightlife scene already know about it. But I also do more than jussst go to nightclubsss and get blackout drunk. Like I told you, I go to many ssswanky loungesss that I think would be right up your alley.”

“I don’t think it would do me well to get caught up in any aspect of your life, Crowley.”

He would be lying if he said that Aziraphale’s statement hadn’t hurt a bit, and he would also be lying if he said he had no interest in trying to change the blonde’s mind. 

“Nightlife aspect is off the table, that’sss fair.” Crowley nodded, peaking around to make sure Adam was still absorbed in his book; he was, and Crowley couldn’t help but grin as the six year old animatedly moved his right arm as he mouthed along to what he was reading.

“I said any aspect.” The blonde pointed out, a flash of an apology in his blue-grey eyes.

“Coming to your bookshop with Adam will become an aspect of my life, I’m sure.” The red head said as he looked back at Aziraphale.

“Well, um…maybe…maybe not all aspects then.” Aziraphale stammered as his hands tugged at the hem of his waistcoat. “I have a feeling I’ll quite enjoy debating boring books with Adam.”

Crowley just grinned and made his way over to his son. It was another forty-five minutes, and another debate between Adam and Aziraphale, before Crowley pointed out that they needed to pick up Dog. At the mention of his puppy, Adam’s face split into a grin and he practically threw the book he had been reading at his father.

“See you later, Mr. Fell!” the six year old yelled as he ran towards the shop’s door.

“Adam, wait…and he’sss gone.” Crowley sighed and handed the book to Aziraphale. “We’ll see you next time, Aziraphale.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“What’s your favorite book, Dad?” Adam asked as he looked over the selection of books in front of him.

It was their third trip to the bookshop in as many weeks, and Crowley was currently listening to his son talk about books while Aziraphale was helping a few other guests. The last time they had come by for a visit had been a rather eventful one; Adam and Aziraphale had found a book that they both agreed wasn’t boring and Adam listened attentively as the bookseller discussed why he loved the book in detail. Crowley had been mildly surprised that his son retained any information considering it had sounded like Aziraphale was giving a university level analysis.

“I don’t have a favorite. But my mum used to read _Peter Pan_ to me all the time when I was your age.” Crowley said as he looked at his son, a small smile at the memory forming. “I loved when she would read it to me. And when I wasss able to read on my own, we alwaysss read it together.”

“I don’t think I’ve read that one.” Adam said with a smile, his blue eyes looking up at his father.

“Oh, I read it to you all the time. You jussst don’t remember.” Crowley reached out and playfully ruffled the dirty blonde curls. “Of course, you were three last time I read it to you.”

“No wonder I thought I’ve never read it.” Adam sighed as he shook his head slowly. “I was a baby last time you read it.”

Crowley laughed softly and shook his own head. He left Adam to look at the children’s section while he walked around the bookshop, ending up in the very small hobby section. It didn’t take long for him to find one of the few books on gardening to look through while he waited. Of course, if anyone asked what he was waiting for he would have told them he was waiting for his son to claim he was done looking at the books. It would be ridiculous to say that he was waiting for Aziraphale to finish doing his job, after all there was no reason for him to look forward to talking to the blonde.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been looking through the book, but it was long enough for him to realize it was just a basic gardening book. It was filled with mostly basic information, and that was all things he had learned from his mother. Of course, there had been a few things he hadn’t been aware and he had filed them away in his brain for later.

“Looking for a new hobby?” Crowley jumped at the sound of Aziraphale’s voice, shaking his head at the other man’s small laughter. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t scare me.” The red head muttered as he closed the book and placed it back where he had grabbed it. “And gardening isn’t a new hobby.”

“Oh?” Aziraphale raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly to the right. “You don’t look like the type to be into gardening.”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover, yeah?” Crowley pointed out as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I enjoy gardening. Sssomething my mother passed along to me.”

There was something about the surprise on Aziraphale’s face that caused Crowley to laugh softly. He was used to the shock when people found out that he was into gardening and owned houseplants, but it seemed different coming from the blonde. And Crowley couldn’t put his finger on why surprising the bookseller brought him that kind of joy.

“I never would have guessed that you enjoyed anything outside of being a…a…a club kid.” Aziraphale said softly as a soft blush appeared on across his cheeks.

“Should probably get to know me better then.” Crowley smirked, biting back the chuckle as the blonde’s blush deepened slightly. “I promise you, however you think I am is completely wrong.”

Before anything else could be said, there was a tugging on the hem of Crowley’s shirt and he looked to see Adam standing next to him. The six year old was holding up a copy of _Peter Pan_, a wide grin on his face. Once he was sure his father saw the book, he turned to Aziraphale and pointed to the book in his hand.

“My dad said this used to be his favorite book.” Adam announced.

“Is that so?” Aziraphale smiled as he looked at the boy before glancing at Crowley quickly. “Your father does look a bit like Peter Pan, wouldn’t you say?”

Adam turned back around to look at his father, his face scrunched up in thought and his head tilted. After a few seconds, he let out a loud laugh and nodded his head violently.

“You’re right, Mr. Fell, he does!” Adam giggled as he looked from the book in his hands to his father. “Dad, are you Peter Pan?”

“I can safely say that I am not.” Crowley said with a shake of his head. “If I was, well…I wouldn’t be your dad. I can’t be your dad if I’m the boy who never grew up.”

“You can be if you decided to leave Neverland and stay in London.” Aziraphale pointed out, a slight smile on his face.

“Damn, I’ve been found out.” Crowley snapped his fingers in defeat, much to his son’s amusement. “Of course, you’d only know that if you knew me from before.”

It was Crowley’s turn to smile at the look on Aziraphale’s face. Adam whipped around to look at the bookseller and Crowley didn’t need to be facing his son to know there was a question in his blue eyes. The red head bit his lower lip as he listened to Aziraphale sputter out some attempt to keep the conversation going.

“Does that mean you’re Tinkerbell?” Adam asked and it took everything in Crowley to not burst out laughing.

“I am most certainly not Tinkerbell.” Aziraphale said as he stared at Adam, looking up to glare at Crowley.

“Yeah, I don’t think you’re a fairy.” The six year old said after a moment. “You’re clearly Wendy.”

That was the breaking point and Crowley double over in a fit of laughter, tears gathering in his eyes. He tried to reign in his laughter but found that nearly impossible at Aziraphale’s reaction.

“It makes perfect sense!” Adam insisted, ignoring his father. “You’re blonde, you wear blue, you like to read, and you’re older than my dad. And if my dad is Peter, he would have waited a little bit before deciding to follow Wendy to London.”

“He’s on to usss.” Crowley managed to get out as he stood up, enjoying the conversation far too much to notice the pain in his right leg.

“I’m hardly a damsel in distress.” Aziraphale said after a moment, straightening his bowtie as he glared at a chuckling Crowley.

“Boys can be damsels in distress too, Mr. Fell.” Adam said as he gave the blonde a pointed look.

Crowley found himself giving in to another round of laughter, shortly joined in by his son and Aziraphale.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By the time Adam had started up school, father and son had made four more trips to the bookshop in the last two weeks of summer. Crowley had gotten his son to agree no visits during the first week back while Adam settled into the routine of school, but that didn’t mean Crowley had to stop going to the bookshop during the days. And that was how he found himself walking down the busy street towards A.Z. Fell and Co.

He hadn’t really planned to see Aziraphale without Adam, but he had been in the neighborhood for lunch with his Nine Circles family and it seemed the best option to spend his day until it was time to pick up Adam from school. He just hoped that the bookseller wouldn’t find it too weird to see Crowley without the six year old. Of course, if that was the case then the red head would say he was there to buy the copy of _Peter Pan_ Adam had found the other week.

The bell sounded above him as he entered the shop, smiling slightly at the welcoming sight of the slightly overstuffed bookshop. It briefly occurred to him that the shop shouldn’t be so familiar to him, but he quickly pushed that thought away. What did it matter if he felt comfortable in the crowded bookshop or not?

“I wasn’t expecting to see you today.” Aziraphale’s voice sounded to his right, the blonde peaking over a few stack of books on a table.

“I wasss in the neighborhood and figured I’d drop in.” Crowley shrugged as he made his way over to where Aziraphale was. “I hope that’s alright.”

“It is. I just didn’t think you’d come by without Adam.” Aziraphale clarified with a reassuring smile. “I seem to recall you not being a reader, so I had assumed that you…I didn’t think you’d come by on your own, is all.”

“I’ve enjoyed our conversationsss, and I’d like to see what it’s like talking with you without having to keep an eye on Adam.” Crowley shoved his hands into his jacket’s pockets and grinned.

Aziraphale returned the smile before going back to what he had been doing. Crowley stood there watching him in silence and the longer the silence went on, the more he started to think that maybe he had made a mistake. After all, any conversation they had had always involved Adam to some type of degree.

“Ssso…” he drawled as he rocked slightly on to the balls of his feet.

“Hm?” Aziraphale looked up from the book he had been inspecting, blinking a few times almost as if he was confused about Crowley’s presence.

“If this isss a bad time, I can come back.” Crowley said as he vaguely gestured towards the door. “And I’ll have Adam with me next time I come by.”

There was a pause before the blonde’s eyes went wide, the book carefully being placed back down.

“I am so sorry, Crowley. I wasn’t trying…um, I was being a bit rude, wasn’t I?” Aziraphale gave him a sheepish smile. “It’s not a bad time. I was actually going to close up for a late lunch, if you’d like to join me.”

“I already ate but I could keep you company.” Crowley shrugged. “I should probably get to know you a little better if Adam is going to ssspend time here.”

“That would be the responsible thing to do.” Aziraphale said with a small smile.

Crowley chuckled slightly and watched as the blonde moved to the door, flipping over the ‘Open’ sign and locking the door. Within a matter of minutes, Crowley found himself sitting on a worn leather couch in the backroom while Aziraphale settled down at a wooden desk. The red head was impressed that there was enough room for the blonde to actually use the surface to eat his lunch.

“Adam really likesss you.” Crowley said, not entirely sure what else to say. “Lilith, his mother, told me that he told her all about you and the shop.”

“Really?” Aziraphale looked over with an expression of surprise.

“I told you, you’re his new hero for sssaving Dog.” Crowley smiled as he sprawled out on the couch, sighing softly at the relief he felt in his leg. “Lilith said Adam wantsss to take her here and meet you next time she has him.”

“Are you and his mother no longer together?” Aziraphale asked in a hesitant tone, his gaze looking at his lunch.

“We decided we work better as friendsss after we found out she wasss pregnant.” The red head said as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I love Lilith to death and she feels the ssame about me, but we would have grown to hate each other if we hadn’t ended our relationship.”

Aziraphale made a small noise of acknowledgement as he swallowed the bite he had just taken, his eyes closing briefly. Crowley smiled slightly when he noticed the little wiggle the bookseller gave as he swallowed. It was absolutely the cutest thing he had ever seen.

“What about you? Wife, kidsss?” Crowley asked after a moment as he looked around the room from where he was sitting.

“Oh, no. I had been with someone for about ten years but…well, the person he had become turned out to be someone I didn’t want to be with.” Aziraphale as he looked at the floor. “He became mean, and spiteful. A long cry from the carefree, charming man I had met in university.”

Crowley just nodded as he ignored the fact that he was filing away the knowledge that Aziraphale was into men. After a moment, it was clear that the blonde was done speaking.

“I’m sssorry to hear that, Aziraphale.” Crowley said softly, offering a sympathetic smile.

“It happens. The important thing is that I noticed before marriage was ever on the table.” The blonde said as he looked up, a small smile on his face. “It would have been a messy divorce.”

“But if he was rich, then you could have found a way to take most of his money.” Crowley pointed out, grinning at the laugh he received.

After that, the two fell into an easier conversation than before. Crowley had told Aziraphale how he had ended up in the nightlife industry, and all about the family he had made out of that life. It was the first time he had actively told anyone about how he had met first met Lucian, Ellie, and Lilith and he found that he actually enjoyed recounting the antics of his eighteen year old self.

In return, Aziraphale had talked about his university days and the stress he had put himself under during his studies; it was that stress that had brought him out to his brief visit of the nightlife scene. Crowley listened as the blonde talked about some of the few aspects he had enjoyed of that life, and Crowley couldn’t help but notice the way Aziraphale’s face lit up when he recalled a particular dish or cocktail he had had at a lounge.

“What made you leave all that after such a short time?” Crowley asked, tilting his head to the left slightly.

“My studies, mainly. Being part of that crowd demanded a certain amount of attention and I didn’t want to slack in academics.” Aziraphale said as he leaned back slightly in the plush chair he had moved to after finishing his lunch. “But also because it just wasn’t me. The constant partying, the drugs, the spending…doing that nearly every night wasn’t something I was interested in.”

“I understand.” Crowley chuckled at the doubtful look Aziraphale gave him. “I do! If Lilith hadn’t gotten pregnant, she would have gotten out of that life for the sssame reason as you. She’s not like Lucian, partying and nightlife was never her passion. It was sssomething fun to do to blow off sssteam.”

“And you? Do you see yourself doing this for the rest of your life?”

Crowley shrugged as he shifted to sit up. He took a moment to think about the question, not sure how to answer it.

“Maybe.” He said after a few more moments. “I never had any real ambitionsss when it came to a career. I mean, I know what I want down the road but getting there isn’t mapped out. I’m jussst here to enjoy the ride.”

The two spent the rest of Aziraphale’s lunch talking about this and that, and Crowley had to admit it felt nice to talk to someone who wasn’t involved in his line of work. He didn’t have to think about how to say things or what topics to bring up to keep up his image, all he had to do was worry about being a normal person trying to get to know someone better. By the time Aziraphale opened the shop back up, Crowley had noticed that he needed to start making his way to pick up Adam.

“You know, if you’re not doing anything tomorrow night…um, you can join us for dinner.” Crowley found himself saying before he left. “If you’d like, that is.”

“Oh! Um, well…I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Especially since it seems like we’re going to be seeing each other quite a bit.” Aziraphale said as he wrung his hands together.

“Great. I’ll ssstop by on my way to pick Adam from school to iron out the detailsss.” The red head said, already questioning why he had done that. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Aziraphale gave a slight wave goodbye as Crowley quickly made his way out of the shop. He cursed himself as he walked towards where he had parked the Bentley. He had no idea what he had been thinking, it wasn’t like they were friends. As it stood, Crowley and Aziraphale were merely acquaintances and acquaintances definitely didn’t go out for meals together.

“Idiot.” Crowley muttered once he had gotten into the Bentley.

Regardless of why he had done it, the invitation had been accepted and there was no way Crowley was going to take it back. After all, it seemed as if Aziraphale might consider this the start of a friendship and that really wouldn’t be so bad. Crowley sighed softly and tore away from the spot he had parked in, speeding off towards Adam’s school. A small smile came to his face at the thought of how excited his son would be to know that his new favorite person would be joining them for dinner the next night.

If nothing else, this would earn him points for being the world’s best dad in the six year old’s eyes. And that alone was reason enough to not take back the invitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait between chapters, things have been sort of hectic between my work and personal life. But fear not, I have not forgotten this fic or have any plans of not seeing it through.
> 
> With that out of the way, things are starting to pick up between these boys and now the ball has started to roll. I have to admit, I'm really enjoying writing Adam interacting with everyone and I'm kind of glad for the last minute decision to make Crowley a father. I am also really enjoying writing Crowley and Aziraphale for this story, they're different from Boomerang and I can't wait to share with just how different their relationship is gonna be compared to my last fic.
> 
> Speaking of Boomerang, I am working on some follow-up content and plan to have some of it out in time for Christmas. So keep your eyes peeled for that bad boy.
> 
> As always, you can find me on Tumblr at a-rare-gift and on Twitter at doitlikedamien. You can also show support for this fic on Ko-fi at doitlikedamien, where I will be very appreciative for the tea/cocoa I can get with that support.


	5. lend me your eyes i can change what you see

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unlikely friendship forms over dinners and drinks

It had been a little over a month since Crowley had invited Aziraphale to join him and Adam for dinner, and he had been surprised when the dinner had gone well enough to spawn an invitation to dinner once a week. They usually met up at a restaurant near the bookshop, although there had been one night where Aziraphale had invited Crowley and Adam to join him for takeaway in his flat above the bookshop.

What had been even more surprising for Crowley was how well he got along with the other man, despite really having nothing in common. The fact that the two men were polar opposites seemed to be enough for them to quickly enter into a friendship, although Aziraphale kept up the air that it was a reluctant friendship; after all, a bookseller in his mid-thirties had no reason to be friends with a twenty-something party boy. Any time a statement was made about them not really being friends, Crowley would catch the small smile on Aziraphale and knew that the blonde was simply trying to keep up an image. And that was something the red head understood all too well.

Adam, it seemed, looked forward to spending all that time with Aziraphale. And Crowley absolutely loved the fact that his son enjoying being around the other man, it made him feel better that Adam had a male influence that wasn’t tied to London’s nightlife; not that there was anything wrong with the men already in the six year old’s life. Crowley had also quickly learned he would always be on the outside of most conversations his on had with the blonde, and that suited him just fine because those conversations were mostly on topics that Crowley didn’t hold much interest in.

Because everything seemed to be going so well, Crowley hadn’t questioned the thought that had crossed his mind as the three of them made their way out of the restaurant. He looked over to see Adam was preoccupied with his drink before looking back at Aziraphale, who was rambling about something. To be honest, Crowley had stopped paying attention once he had began to entertain his own thought.

“Let me take you out tomorrow.” Crowley said quickly when the other man had paused in what he was saying.

“I’m sorry?” Aziraphale said slowly as he looked at the red head, confusion in his eyes.

“I sssaid, let me take you out tomorrow.”

There was a brief pause and the blonde merely blinked a few times. It was somewhat amusing to Crowley, and he couldn’t keep the slight smile off his face.

“If this you trying to get me to that lounge again, Crowley…” Aziraphale started as he rolled his eyes slightly.

“Give it an hour. If nothing else, you’ll have a really nice meal with a few good drinksss.” Crowley pointed out in what he hoped was an inviting tone.

“I’m not going to a place where I have to yell in order to have a conversation.” Aziraphale said. “Or to be surrounded by people who can’t hold their drink.”

“This lounge isn’t like that, Aziraphale. It’s classy, and right up your alley.” The red head said, a small part of him wondering why he was trying so hard to change the other man’s mind. “You sssaid you missed the food and the high society feel of your party daysss. I’m offering you one night to have all that without the obnoxious partsss you don’t like.”

Another pause and Crowley was aware of Adam’s faint muttering, although he wasn’t sure what his son was saying. 

“One hour, and then we can leave?” Aziraphale finally asked.

“If you want to.” Crowley nodded as he smiled slightly.

“I suppose then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

It took a few more minutes before Aziraphale left to make his walk back to his bookshop, leaving Crowley and Adam to make their way towards the Bentley. As soon as they had been left alone, Crowley could tell there was something on Adam’s mind from the way he stared ahead of him. There was a deep look of focus on his face and the red head knew it would be better to wait for the six year old to say something than to ask.

The entire drive back to Crowley’s flat was passed with the father and son singing along to whatever Queen song came through the speakers, Adam doing his best to put on a performance from his place in the backseat. Despite how much fun Adam was having belting along with the radio, Crowley knew that the boy was still focusing on whatever he was thinking of.

Crowley was sure that his son would speak up as soon as they entered the flat, but Adam kept quiet. It had gotten to the point where Crowley thought that maybe whatever the six year old was thinking wasn’t anything that was worth mentioning, that perhaps Adam was simply lost in one of his own stories he sometimes thought up.

“Want me to read to you tonight?” Crowley asked as he settled down at the foot of Adam’s bed, the book they were currently reading sitting on his lap.

Adam nodded as he snuggled into the bed, his arms clinging to the stuffed snake he had had since he was a year old. Crowley smiled and opened the book to the chapter they had left off on. Just as he cleared his throat, the mattress moved and he noticed his son was leaning against the headboard.

“What’sss up, kid?” Crowley asked.

“Do you like Mr. Fell?” Adam asked softly, his fingers running along the plush snake.

“’Course I do. We wouldn’t go visit the bookshop or have dinner with him if I didn’t.” he closed the book softly and turned to face his son, crossing his legs to fit on the bed.

“Do you want him to be your boyfriend?” the six year old looked at his father with something that Crowley couldn’t quite place.

The question caught him off guard and he found himself stumbling over his own words. And it seemed the more he stuttered out something trying to resemble words, the more Adam seemed to take it as a confirmation.

“Because it’s okay if you want him to.” Adam continued, his gaze shifting to look at his plush snake. “I just want to know because I have to make sure he isn’t going to make you sad.”

“Adam, I don’t…I mean, I’m not…ngk.” Crowley ran his fingers through his hair and took a breath, collecting his thoughts before trying again. “I like Mr. Fell as a friend, that’sss all. And why do you have to make sure he isn’t going to make me sssad?”

“I promised Mum I would make sure your next boyfriend doesn’t make you so sad that you have to leave for a while.” Adam’s voice came out so small that it broke Crowley’s heart. “I don’t want you to go away again.”

Crowley sighed and leaned over to set the book on the floor. He motioned with his hand before carefully moving to lay on his side, his head resting on Adam’s pillow as he faced his son. He waited until Adam moved to lay on his side as well, tears swimming in his blue eyes as he looked at his father.

“I’m not going to leave again, Adam.” Crowley said softly, reaching out to soothingly rub his son’s back. “I won’t ever get that sssad again. You’re ssstuck with me, kiddo.”

“Promise?” Adam whispered.

“Would I lie to you?” Crowley asked.

Adam shook his head before scooting closer to his father, Crowley’s heart breaking slightly as he held the six year old close. He kissed the top of his head as he continued to rub Adam’s back and hummed softly. It didn’t take long for the boy to fall asleep, one hand curled tightly into the material of Crowley’s shirt.

Even though he knew the pain in his leg would be dialed up in the morning, Crowley couldn’t bring himself to leave Adam’s bed. It was clear that the six year old was terrified at the idea of Crowley leaving, and he didn’t want Adam to wake up alone and panic. He shifted slightly to try and get as comfortable as he could before closing his eyes, still humming until he eventually fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Crowley had been right about his leg when he had woken up still in his son’s bed, but it had been worth it to see the bright smile on Adam’s face when he realized his father was still there. Their morning routine had gone by as always, Crowley making breakfast while the six year old made sure he had everything ready for school before getting dressed. It had taken Adam a little longer to leave the Bentley when Crowley went to drop him off, but the promise of a family lunch over the weekend seemed to have done the trick in cheering up his son.

“Be good for your mother.” Crowley said as he helped Adam out of the backseat, reaching out to ruffle the boy’s hair.

“Tell Mr. Fell I said hi?” Adam shrugged his backpack on to one shoulder and grinned when his father nodded. “Love you, Dad.”

“Love you too, kiddo.” Crowley knelt down and gave a quick hug to the six year old, kissing the top of his head. “Go on before you’re late.”

Adam simply waved away the concern before heading towards his school building. Crowley laughed when he heard his son yell out for his friends before running to catch up with the three other children. He sighed softly and pulled out his mobile, opening up his text conversation with Lilith.

Crowley: _Any meetings coming up this morning?_

Lilith: _I’ll be free to talk by noon._

Crowley: _You know me so well. See you then._

He slipped his mobile back into his pocket before walking around to the driver’s side of the Bentley, quickly pulling away from the school. His eyes glanced at the digital clock of the radio (one of the few upgrades he had done to the Bentley) and let out a small groan once he realized he’d have to find a way to kill time until noon.

His first thought was to go to the bookshop but that idea was quickly dismissed when he reminded himself that he was going to be seeing Aziraphale later that evening. He didn’t want the bookseller to get sick of his company so soon in their friendship. Of course, there was still time for him to find a way to scare off Aziraphale but he’d cross that bridge if it ever came.

Instead, Crowley went about spending his morning going to some of his favorite places; the record shop he had been going to since he was seventeen, his usual tattoo shop to discuss a possible idea for a new tattoo, the local plant nursery to see if anything caught his eye, and eventually ending up at a park to wait out the last hour. He did some light work while he listened to the ducks quack at him for the lack of food.

“Would you be quiet? I’m trying to work here.” Crowley muttered as he glared at the small group at his feet. “Promoting doesn’t happen on its own, you know?”

Honeyed eyes rolled when all he got in response was another round of quacks as one of the smaller ducks took a few steps closer to him. Crowley just shook his head and went back to promoting that week’s lineup at Nine Circles. He smirked slightly as he put extra attention to their resident DJ, chuckling slightly when he imagined what Daisy would have to say when she saw the post.

By the time he was on his way to Lilith’s flat, he had made a few more promotional posts and booked the last of his tables for the following evening; over all, it wasn’t a bad work hour. He had sent a quick text to let Lilith know he was on his way and couldn’t help but laugh at the respond she had sent him.

Lilith: _I’ll give you the all clear to shag my neighbor if you can get here in under twenty minutes._

Crowley: _Better let your neighbor know he’s about to get a night with the man of his dreams._

Crowley grinned as he imagined Lilith’s reaction to his text, and picked up his pace to the Bentley. He was mildly impressed with how fast he was walking considering the pain in his leg, but there was no way he was going to miss the chance to sleep with his ex’s neighbor; Lilith’s neighbor had made it well known he was attracted to Crowley upon their first meeting but Crowley had never made a move simply because Lilith was good friends with the young man, and she had asked him not to.

It had taken him exactly seventeen minutes until he was letting himself into Lilith’s flat. A laugh escaped him at the loud curse she let out when she saw him walk through the door.

“Why does the idea of me shagging Bill bother you so much?” Crowley asked through his laughter, moving to set Adam’s duffle bag on the kitchen table.

“It doesn’t bother me, really. I’d just want to avoid the jokes both of you will make about me and him having slept with you.” Lilith shook her head and gave a playful shudder as she thought about the future jokes. “I heard enough of those jokes between Lucian and Ellie, and you have less of a filter.”

Crowley merely grinned as he leaned against the table, sighing at the relief he felt in his leg. Lilith gave him a quick look of concern but didn’t say anything at the reassuring smile he flashed her. He sighed softly and carefully pulled off his sunglasses

“I’ll make thisss quick so you can get back to work, but has Adam sssaid anything about last year?” Crowley asked softly.

“What exactly about last year would he be talking about?” even as she asked the question, Crowley knew that Lilith had an idea of what he was referring to.

“Adam made a comment about needing to make sure anyone I dated wouldn’t make me so sssad that I leave again.”

There was a silence as Lilith stared at Crowley and he knew the entirety of the previous year was running through her mind. He also knew that she was thinking about the events that led up to the previous year, and he knew that because that’s exactly what was going through his mind.

“What did you tell him?” Lilith asked softly.

“I promised him that I would never leave again, that I wouldn’t get to that point ever again.” Crowley said. “I jussst wanted to know if he…if he’s been thinking about it.”

“If he has, he hasn’t said anything to me.” Lilith sighed and pushed back a few locks of dirty blonde hair. “What made him say that to you?”

“He overheard me ask Aziraphale…um, the owner of that bookshop I’ve been taking him to…Adam overheard me ask him out to dinner for tonight.” He rolled his eyes at the look of curiosity Lilith gave him. “We’re jussst friendsss, and friendsss go to dinner from time to time.”

“But Adam thought it was a date?”

Crowley nodded and couldn’t help but chuckle at the smile on Lilith’s face. It was moments like these that made Crowley glad he was co-parenting with his best friend, they usually shared the same thoughts about their son. And the thought they were sharing at that moment was how sweet their son was for wanting to see his father get back out on the dating scene.

“I’m taking him to the bookshop tomorrow after school because he wants me to meet Mr. Fell. I’ll find a way to ask him if he thinks about last year.” Lilith said after a few moments.

“If he does, let me know and I’ll come by for dinner ssso we can talk to him about it.” Crowley said.

“Look at us, being great parents with our plans.” Lilith grinned and Crowley just chuckled. “Do you want lunch since you’re here?”

“Nah. I’m going to ssswing by the club and bother Oliver and Ligur, and listen to Daisy test new equipment with her brand new ssset.” Crowley put his sunglasses back on.

He took a moment to stretch out his leg, making plans to host a lunch on Saturday for everyone they considered family. After a quick goodbye and promising to tell the others Lilith sent her love, Crowley made his way out of the flat and stopped briefly to talk to Lilith’s neighbor. Once he had set up for Bill to be put on the VIP list for the next night, the red head left the building and wasted no time in getting in the Bentley.

By the time Crowley had actually arrived at Nine Circles, it was nearly three hours after he left Lilith’s. He had gone back to his flat to get off his leg for a bit in the hopes that it would be a bit more manageable that evening, and to do his usual inspection of his plants; there was a small snake plant that was causing problems and his patience with it was running thin, something that was evident by the way he threatened it.

Crowley shook his head, now was not the time to think about his problem child. He had to focus on being the biggest pain in his friends’ ass, as well as give actual feedback on Daisy’s new set. He made sure the Bentley was locked before walking into the club and smiled when he heard Daisy’s signature set. He clearly hadn’t missed the new one, and for that he was glad.

He hung back out of sight while he watched Oliver and Ligur lean in close to talk about whatever they were, Daisy moving around as she got lost in what she was doing. While Crowley was the youngest of the Gang, Daisy was definitely the newest member; she beat Oliver and Ligur out of that title by joining Lucifer’s Gang nearly six months after they had, something both men like to tease her with.

As Crowley waited to make his presence known, he noted how much better the new sound system sounded in the empty club. It was another five minutes before the music died down and he began walking towards them as he slowly clapped.

“Can’t wait to hear the new ssset with all the new equipment.” Crowley grinned once all three of them were looking at him.

“What are you doing here, Crowley?” Oliver grumbled even as a smile fought to appear on his face.

“I could ask you and Ligur the sssame question. Everyone knowsss you don’t give a shit about all this.” The red head teased.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Oliver rolled his eyes and playfully shook his head.

“What are you all poshed up for anyways?” Ligur said as motioned towards Crowley.

The red head narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses before looking down at his outfit; it was nothing more than a pair of his best fitting dark blue jeans, a grey v-neck shirt with a black vest, and his nice black pea coat to complete the outfit. Although he did note that maybe the black snakeskin boots were a bit too much. There was nothing he could really do about it now so he mentally shrugged and looked back at his friends.

“I’m not. I’m jussst going out for a bit tonight and wanted to look sssome what nice.” Crowley said as he rolled his shoulders slightly before turning his head to look at Daisy. “Let’s hear what the newest Dagon ssset is all about.”

“Only after you tell us who you’re going out with.” Daisy said as made her way from out of the DJ booth.

“Is it that bloody twink you fucked the other weekend?” Oliver groaned.

“No, it isn’t. I’m going out to dinner with the owner of that bookshop I’ve been taking Adam to.” Crowley explained, rushing into his next sentence as soon as he saw the look on the other three’s faces. “Jussst as friendsss.”

There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind as he watched the three share a look. The matching smirks amplified that nagging feeling and Crowley knew whatever was about to happen would not be good.

“Just friends?” Oliver was the first to speak, an eyebrow raised slightly.

“I am allowed to have friendsss outside of the Gang, you know?” Crowley pointed out as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I’m taking him to that lounge we went to for Lilith’s birthday thisss year.”

“I give it a week before you try to shag him.” Oliver said bluntly and jumped back just as Crowley’s arm swung out towards him.

“I’ll give him five days.” Ligur snickered, shoving Crowley’s hand away before he could be smacked.

“We’re jussst bloody friendsss.” The red head growled.

“Which is exactly why we’re putting a timeline on when you’re going to end up fucking him.” Ligur chuckled.

“I don’t fuck everyone I consider a friend.” Crowley pointed out, turning his head to glare at a laughing Daisy.

“No, but you do try and fuck everyone.” Oliver teased before he jumped behind Ligur, using the other man as a shield between him and Crowley.

Crowley hissed as he tried to reach Oliver, the laughter from both him and Ligur doing nothing but fuel his irritation. He was so busy dealing Oliver and Ligur, he hadn’t even noticed Daisy had made her way back to the DJ booth. If had noticed, then he would have been able to prepare for whatever she was getting ready to say.

“Come on, guys. Crowley can control himself around men.” Daisy’s voice rang out on to the dance floor, catching the three men’s attention.

Crowley took a deep breath and turned to look at her, an appreciative smile on his face. Oliver and Ligur shared a look before looking back at Daisy.

“Thank you, Daisy…” the red head began.

“He won’t try to sleep with this bloke for at least two weeks.” She cut him off.

Whatever Crowley was going to say next was drowned out by three sets of laughter, which was quickly drowned out by Daisy starting up her new set.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later saw Crowley standing outside the bookshop, lightly leaning against the Bentley. After leaving Nine Circles, he had decided to spend the last few minutes inside the shop as Aziraphale went about closing up. The blonde had told Crowley that he would meet him outside before heading up upstairs to his flat to do something or another, although the red head figured Aziraphale was probably freshening up.

He hadn’t been waiting too long before Aziraphale walked out of the bookshop, his back towards Crowley as he locked the door. The smile on Crowley’s face dropped at the sudden look on the other man’s face.

“Really, Crowley?” Aziraphale huffed as he walked over, his eyes taking in the Bentley.

“Really what?” Crowley narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses.

“What was the purpose of renting a vintage car?” Aziraphale turned to look at him, the faintest look of annoyance on his face.

“’S not a rental. The Bentley’s mine.” The red head beamed with pride as he opened the passenger side door for Aziraphale.

“How can you possibly afford to buy this sort of vehicle at your age?” the blonde made no move to get into the Bentley as he looked at Crowley.

“My ex bought the Bentley for me as a gift for my twenty-second birthday.” Crowley explained, shrugging slightly at the disbelieving look on the other man’s face.

“What sort of person just buys a vintage car for someone they’re dating?” Aziraphale tiled his head slightly, a small flash of triumph in his eyes at the idea of possibly having caught the other man in a lie.

“I may or may not have been a sugar baby.”

Crowley smirked at the shock on Aziraphale’s face, walking around to the driver’s side. His smirk was still firmly in place as Aziraphale finally ducked into the vehicle and Crowley could feel his eyes on him. Silence filled the Bentley as Crowley started the engine and carefully pulled away from the curb. If he hadn’t been wearing his sunglasses, then Aziraphale would have seen the wicked glint in his eyes.

“Your ex let you keep this car after the breakup?” Aziraphale finally asked, his gaze still firmly locked on Crowley.

“Everything wasss put in my name when the Bentley wasss bought.” Crowley explained as his eyes quickly darted over to look at the other man.

Aziraphale let out a small squeak as the Bentley suddenly sped up, his arm shooting out the brace against the dashboard. Crowley laughed loudly as he weaved in and out of the other cars on the road. A part of him knew that he should at least attempt to drive like a normal person, but where would the fun have been in that? Besides, if his driving didn’t scare off Aziraphale then there was a high chance that Crowley could one day call him a close friend.

It took a considerably shorter time to reach the lounge than normal, although Crowley refused to tell Aziraphale exactly how much time his driving gad saved them. The entire drive over had been filled with the blonde either trying to distract himself Crowley’s driving or trying to get the red head to obey some type of driving law; both had failed but had given Crowley something to chuckle about.

“How are you possibly still allowed to drive?” Aziraphale asked as he practically fell out of the Bentley, getting as far away from the vehicle as possible.

“We got here in one piece, and no one got hurt.” Crowley grinned as he chuckled, locking up the Bentley. “C’mon. I promised you good food and drinksss.”

“I’m not entirely sure if I should trust you after that…that ride in your death machine.” The blonde grumbled before cautiously following Crowley from the car park to the lounge.

“Prepare to be proved wrong then.” The red head turned to walk backwards to the lounge, a smirk on his face.

Aziraphale huffed lightly and muttered something under his breath. Crowley merely gave his best look of innocence before gesturing for the blonde to go in ahead of him. He already had a feeling this evening would be nothing short of entertaining.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aziraphale giggled at what Crowley had said and the red head grinned before taking a sip of his wine. The food had been eaten a while ago, and Aziraphale had held nothing back in exclaiming how delicious the meal had been. There had even been a few wiggles of happiness that Crowley had found utterly adorable.

Now the two were merely enjoying drinks as they talked about whatever came to mind, and right now that happened to be Crowley retelling Lilith’s birthday at the very lounge they were at. It seemed as if the blonde was enjoying himself, despite his reluctance to even accept the invitation. Crowley had seen the amazement at how quiet inside the lounge was even with the outdoor dance floor and DJ booth.

“Ssso…what do you think?” Crowley drawled as he leaned back in his chair, draining the rest of the wine.

“What do I think of what?” Aziraphale asked, his fingers dancing along the stem of his wine glass.

“Wasss I right about this place being up your alley, or wasss I right?” the red head smirked.

“I have a feeling if I say yes then you’re going to become insufferable.” Aziraphale rolled his eyes even as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Insufferable?” Crowley sat up a bit straighter and smiled softly. “If you think I’m insufferable, does that mean we’re dating now?”

Aziraphale sputtered out words in the hopes of forming a sentence as a nice red tint formed on his face. Crowley couldn’t help but laugh, and that seemed to make the blush on the blonde intensify.

“I’m joking, Aziraphale.” The red head managed to get out.

“It needs to be funny for it to be a joke.” Aziraphale shot a glare at him.

“I thought it wasss funny.” Crowley grinned.

“Of course you did, you fiend.”

Crowley just looked at him with an amused smile until the annoyed look on Aziraphale gave way to a soft smile. They spent the next few hours enjoying the other’s company before they decided to call it a night; Crowley wanted to get some type of rest before having to work the next night, and Aziraphale needing to rest before opening the bookshop in the morning. There was a brief disagreement over who would pay the bill, but Crowley had pointed out that he had invited Aziraphale out so it was only right that he pay.

The drive back to the bookshop had been just as amusing as the drive to the lounge, maybe even a little more amusing considering Aziraphale was slightly less sober than before. Normally Crowley hated when anyone commented on how he drove but by the time he pulled up in front of the bookshop, he had come to the conclusion that he didn’t mind Aziraphale’s comments as much. In fact, he rather liked the way the blonde seemed to fret about how he drove.

“We’ll have to do this again.” Aziraphale said as he turned to look at Crowley, a soft smile on his face. 

“Does that mean I wasss right?” Crowley teased.

“I didn’t say that.” The blonde playfully rolled his eyes before turning to get out of the car.

Crowley watched as Aziraphale slowly climbed out of the Bentley. He was ready to pull away as soon as he heard the door close, but was surprised when Aziraphale ducked back down and smiled at him.

“If you get the chance tomorrow, come by and we can do lunch.” Aziraphale grinned and there was no way that Crowley could say no to that face. “My treat.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Crowley smiled.

As they said their quick goodbyes, Crowley couldn’t help but notice how the light behind Aziraphale seemingly gave the effect of a halo around the blonde curls. He smiled to himself as the passenger door closed and he watched Aziraphale make his way to his shop. Only when the blonde had closed the door behind him did Crowley finally pull on to the road, a grin on his face the entire drive to his flat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea why this chapter was so difficult for me to focus on, especially since I already had this whole thing planned out in my head. But the important thing is that it's done and up.
> 
> Things are started to take off for our boys, but the real question is going to be are they going to be idiots about everything? I mean, the answer is obviously yes because they're bot gay disasters but it'll be a fun ride that's for sure!
> 
> I'm also falling more in love with Adam and he's starting to be featured more than I originally planned, but that's not a bad thing. And the more I think of future chapters, the more Lucifer and the gang are starting to be featured but that as well is not a bad thing.
> 
> I'm also officially off of work until the day after Christmas, so I do plan to work on this (as well as a Christmas follow up fro Boomerang) as much as possible while I'm visiting my parents for the holidays. So prepare for slightly more updates than normal.
> 
> As always you can find me on Tumblr (a-rare-gift), Twitter (doitlikedamien), and you can further support this fic on Ko-fi (doitlikedamien)


	6. i felt it in my chest as he looked at me, i knew we were bound to get together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley's friendship with Aziraphale begins to take an unexpected path

Crowley hadn’t been too sure of what to expect for lunch the next day, but going out to a nearby café hadn’t even crossed his mind; not that it was a bad thing. In fact, he was enjoying sitting at one of the outside tables as they ate and talked. Crowley also found himself enjoying the way Aziraphale seemed to savor every bite of his meal, occasionally giving a little wiggle. It was the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen, and yet it was also one of the most adorable things he seen as well. 

“What made you want to open a bookshop?” Crowley asked as he leaned back into his chair, stretching his leg out under the table.

“I just sort of…fell into it, so to say.” Aziraphale said before taking another bite of his food, closing his eyes and smiling softly in enjoyment.

“How do you fall into opening a bookshop?” Crowley raised an eyebrow and continued to watch the other man. “Did you randomly wake up one morning and decide to do it?”

“No, I wanted to be a literature professor. I was in school for it and everything.” The blonde explained after he swallowed the last bit of his lunch. “The bookshop has actually been in my family for a few generations and I worked there while I was studying. After I graduated with my Masters, I just…well, I stuck around I suppose. I ended up taking over for my father a few years ago.”

Crowley nodded as he took a sip of his water. A part of him had expected to see some type of resentment when Aziraphale had told him about inheriting the bookshop, but there had been nothing but happiness and pride on the blonde’s face. It was a bit refreshing to see how much Aziraphale loved the path his life had ended up taking.

“And the shop jussst happened to have your initialsss?” Crowley chuckled as he set his glass back down.

“They’re my great-grandfather’s initials, Alexander Zachary Fell.” Aziraphale said. “My parents actually gave me his middle name when they adopted me. So I guess you could say me taking over the bookshop was meant to be.”

The two shared a laugh just as their server came by to drop off the bill. Even though Aziraphale had said he lunch would be on him the night before, Crowley still made a move to grab the bill just as the blonde did. There was a brief disagreement over who would pay before Crowley gave in and let Aziraphale pay.

“I’m getting the bill next time.” Crowley said as he gave Aziraphale a pointed look; although it would have been more effective if he hadn’t been wearing his sunglasses.

Once Aziraphale had paid for their lunch, they made their way back towards the bookshop. It wasn’t a far walk but with Crowley’s leg acting up the way it was, it made the walk seem like it took much longer. Of course, he was doing his best to seem as if he was perfectly fine; he didn’t want Aziraphale to feel guilty for suggesting they walk to the café.

“What about you? Surely you didn’t plan to do what you do.” Aziraphale said, almost as if their conversation hadn’t taken a brief pause.

“I didn’t really have any plansss.” Crowley shrugged and pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I ssstarted going out to clubssss when I turned eighteen…well, I went to the onesss that let eighteen year oldsss in. I met Lilith a few monthsss later, and she introduced me to her brother and his friend. Lucian and Ellie took me under their wing, and…well, next thing any of us knew we had made a name for ourselvesss and our little group had grown to include three more.”

A faint smile appeared on Crowley’s face as he remembered the gradual formation of Lucifer’s Gang. The next few minutes were spent with Crowley recounting some of the more memorable exploits the Gang had been the center of; including the retelling of a drunken conversation that ended up with Crowley, Oliver, and Ligur getting a tattoo of a snake, toad, and chameleon (respectively).

“Are their tattoos on their faces as well?” Aziraphale asked as he looked over at Crowley.

“Oh no. I was the only ssstupid one to get it on my face.” Crowley smirked, his jaw clenching briefly at the twinge in his knee. “’S not my only tattoo. I have a few more, with more planned for the future.”

“Do they all have drunken back stories?” the blonde asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Are you alright, Crowley?”

“The othersss have actual meaning to them.” he had a feeling as to what made Aziraphale ask, so he decided to ignore the second question. “Play your cardsss right and I might let you sssee them.”

Crowley sent the other man a quick wink before realizing his sunglasses hid the action. Although he still earned a small blush from Aziraphale, and he tried not to think about why that mattered so much to him. His plan to distract the blonde seemed to have worked and Crowley mentally patted himself on the back for a job well done.

“Who said I want to play my cards right?” Aziraphale asked with a slight smirk.

Crowley’s head snapped over to look at Aziraphale as he sputtered out something he hoped was English. He was mildly aware that he was making himself look like an idiot, but he hadn’t expected Aziraphale to respond with something so…playful.

“And besides, even if I wanted to…play my cards right, as you put it, I’m not exactly your type.” Aziraphale continued, his hands tugging slightly on his waistcoat.

“What makesss you think you’re not my type?” Crowley furrowed his brow slightly.

“Well just look at me, Crowley. It doesn’t take a genius to see that I’m far from your type.” Aziraphale looked over at Crowley. “I may not have known you long, but it’s fairly obvious what your type is.”

Crowley stopped walking as he looked at Aziraphale. The other man came to a halt and turned to look at Crowley as well. The red head had no idea what exactly was going on, but now he was curious as to what exactly the blonde thought on the subject.

“Enlighten me then, Aziraphale. What isss my type?” an eyebrow peaked over the top of his sunglasses.

The two stood looking at one another for a moment before Aziraphale let out a small huff. Crowley just smirked when it became clear that the other man was hoping the subject would be drop. The blonde shook his head slightly and began walking again, causing Crowley to quickly follow him.

“I may not know your exact type, but I can gather enough to know that I don’t fit into your lifestyle. I’m not part of the nightlife, I’m not as young as you are, and I’m definitely not a…” Aziraphale trailed off at the loud hiss of pain, turning to see Crowley suddenly limping with his right hand pressing into his thigh. “Crowley, what’s wrong?”

“’S nothing. Jussst…” Crowley sucked in a deep breath as he stopped walking, keeping most of his weight on his good leg. “Jussst an old injury acting up.”

“But are you alright?” Aziraphale asked as he walked over to him, his hand reaching out to lightly rest on Crowley’s elbow.

“I’ll be fine, Aziraphale. I jussst need a minute.”

Aziraphale helped Crowley over to the side, neither of them wanting to be in anyone’s way. Crowley leaned against the building and took a few deep breaths. He mentally berated himself for walking as fast as he had been, especially when there had already been the warning twinges during their walk back. 

They stood there for a few more minutes as Crowley waited for the pain to die down enough to continue. The entire time he had been very aware of Aziraphale watching him, concern shining brightly in his blue-grey eyes. It made him feel like squirming a bit, if he were honest with himself; he wasn’t used to anyone outside of his little family really caring about his well being like that. 

“Let’sss go.” Crowley pushed himself off the building and began walking once again.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Crowley? I can get us a cab if you can’t walk.” Aziraphale said softly, his fingers twisting around each other.

“I’ll be fine, Aziraphale. Like I sssaid, ‘s an old injury.” Crowley gave him a reassuring smile. “Nothing I’m not used to.”

“If you’re sure…” the blonde muttered as he walked along side Crowley.

The two walked in silence for a few moments, Aziraphale glancing over towards Crowley every so often. Crowley smiled to himself as he waited to see what would happen. He could tell there was something on the other man’s mind, and he wondered if Aziraphale would voice that something or not.

Of course, Crowley had an idea of what that something could possibly be. He considered just going ahead and just telling the blonde about the injury, but he didn’t want to come across as a sob story. So instead he waited for Aziraphale to speak up. And if he didn’t, then Crowley would remain silent on the subject.

“Can I ask what the injury is?” Aziraphale’s voice was so cautious that it brought a smile to Crowley’s face.

“I wasss in a car crash when I wasss eleven. Thisss bloke ran a red light and smashed right into my mum’s car, hit my ssside and, um…my right leg wasss practically shattered.” Crowley explained, his gaze focused on the pavement. “Well…my knee wasss shattered, the rest of my leg was jussst broken severely.”

He could feel Aziraphale’s eyes on him and he could almost image the look on the other man’s face. Crowley swallowed as his mind replayed the incident, and he found himself continuing to speak.

“That wasss the worst of my injuries. I wasss banged up, and managed to get a concussion. But…I survived. Sssomehow.” Crowley brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “My mum…by the time helped arrived, it wasss too late for her. That wasss the worst day of my life. Well…up until that point of my life anywaysss. Now it’s one of the worst daysss.”

“I’m so sorry, Crowley.” Aziraphale’s voice was so soft that it tugged at Crowley’s heart for causing it.

“’S a long time ago, Aziraphale.” The red head shrugged slightly, and it was obvious to both men that he was trying to play it off.

“What about your father?” a red tint lightly spread on the blonde’s cheeks when Crowley turned to look at him. “You mentioned, when we first met, that you were in the foster system. I mean, you…you hinted that you were.”

Crowley nodded his head and looked back out ahead of him. He let out a small breath; this was a subject he was a little more comfortable with. It wasn’t the best, but it was better than remembering the day he lost his mother.

“My father fucked off before I wasss born.” He smirked slightly at the small sound of shock that came from Aziraphale.

“Have you ever thought about finding him?” Aziraphale asked with a bit of hesitancy.

“Nah. He wanted nothing to do with me, and I will never want anything to do with him.” Crowley rolled his shoulders back until there was a soft pop. “Besidesss I wouldn’t know where to ssstart. My mum gave me her last name. What about you? Have you ever tried to find your birth parentsss?”

“Oh, um…no.” Aziraphale said with a quick shake of his head. “They had their reasons, and I love how my life turned out. I do, however, like to think that my birth parents are out there…somewhere living the life they always wanted, and completely happy.”

Crowley glanced at him from the corner of his eye, glad that his sunglasses hid the absolute look of amazement on his face. He hadn’t been aware how long he had been staring until Aziraphale turned to look at him. Curiosity and embarrassment flashed his eyes, and Crowley cleared his throat as he looked away.

“What?” Aziraphale asked and there was something in his voice that told the red head the subject would not be dropped.

“Jussst that…being named after an angel suitsss you for more than jussst how you look.” Crowley muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck as they came to a stop in front of the bookshop. “I’m convinced you are an actual angel.”

“I’m really not.” Aziraphale looked away as a blush quickly appeared on his face, coughing lightly. “Lunch was lovely, Crowley.”

Crowley just smiled as he watched the other man fidget with the bottom of his waistcoat, his eyes looking everywhere but at Crowley. There was something endearing about Aziraphale’s reaction, and the red head wanted to keep being the reason for that kind of fluster.

“I’ll sssee you later, angel.” Crowley smirked.

He stood there long enough to see Aziraphale’s head shoot up, his blush growing as he stumbled over his response. Crowley laughed before turning on his heel to walk towards the Bentley. The entire time he could hear Aziraphale protesting being called ‘angel’, and that was reason enough for Crowley to continue using the nickname.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Crowley chuckled as he watched Adam grab Aziraphale’s hand before dragging him through the door, Dog running after and barking excitedly. Over the past month, Monday had become the designated day for Aziraphale to join them for dinner but something had possessed Crowley to change it up this time around.

Instead of going out, he had invited the blonde to the flat for dinner. And as surprising as that had been, Aziraphale accepting the invitation had been even more of a surprise. The only one who didn’t seem at all surprised was Adam, and that was because he was excited to show Aziraphale where he lived and some of his things.

“Don’t ssscare Mr. Fell off, Adam.” Crowley laughed softly.

“I won’t scare him off.” Adam said before looking up at Aziraphale. “Right, Mr. Fell?”

“Of course not. I think your father might be jealous that you like me better.” Aziraphale smirked as he glanced at Crowley, giggling at the red head’s expression.

Crowley shook his head when the six year old laughed. He made a show of being disappointed in the conversation as he walked by the two, pausing once he reached them. He lowered his sunglasses enough to send a playful glare at his son.

“Traitor.” Crowley grinned at the giggle Adam gave. “Try not to drive Mr. Fell crazy while I get dinner, alright kiddo?”

Adam nodded his head before deciding to take Aziraphale on a tour of the flat. Crowley smiled as he made his way into the kitchen, Dog following closely behind as if to remind Crowley he needed to be fed as well. He quickly filled the puppy’s bowl with food before he shrugged out of his jacket, placing it on one of the chairs at the breakfast bar.

It didn’t take long for Crowley to set out everything he needed to start on dinner, chuckling to himself when he realized Aziraphale most likely wasn’t expecting Crowley to cook. He set his sunglasses off to the side and pushed up the sleeves of the Henley he was wearing before setting to work on cooking dinner.

He quietly talked to Dog about nothing in particular until he heard Adam’s voice growing louder. The six year old had seemingly made his room the longest stop in his tour, and it sounded as if Aziraphale had enjoyed whatever it was that Adam had shown him; although knowing his son, Crowley would bet money that Adam had taken the time to proudly show off everything in his room.

“What are we having?” Adam asked as he stopped in the kitchen, reaching down to pet Dog.

“Food.” Crowley smirked as he focused on what he was doing.

“Am I going to like it?” the six year old asked, and Crowley could just picture the look on his face.

“’Course you are. Do I cook bad food?” the red head looked over his shoulder and bit back his urge to laugh at the shocked expression on Aziraphale’s face.

Crowley looked from Adam towards Aziraphale, giving the other man a quick smile before turning back to what he was cooking. He didn’t know why he enjoyed the fact that Aziraphale was shocked at the idea of him cooking dinner, but he also wasn’t going to try and think too much about it. At least not while he was trying to focus on impressing the other man.

‘_Impress? Why do I want to impress him_?’ his brow furrowed slightly as he thought over his own train of thought.

“You…you cook?” Aziraphale’s voice brought Crowley out his thoughts.

Crowley nodded and smirked at Aziraphale’s tone.

“Dad makes the best food ever!” Adam exclaimed as he looked towards Aziraphale. “But don’t tell Mum that. She thinks she’s better at cooking than Dad.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll make some lucky woman happy with that skill.”

Before anything else could be said, Adam laughed loudly. Crowley turned to see his son shaking his head and laughing as Aziraphale stared at the boy in confusion. He opened his mouth to apologize for the boy when Adam stopped laughing long enough to look at the blonde.

“Dad doesn’t like girls, Mr. Fell, he likes boys. Everyone knows that.” Adam grinned before whistling to get Dog’s attention and running out of the kitchen, the puppy happily chasing after him.

Aziraphale turned his attention towards Crowley and the red head gave a slight smile before turning back to cooking. It had never occurred to him that the other man had thought he was straight. Of course, he briefly wondered why it felt like a relief to have Aziraphale know he was gay.

“So…you’re…” Aziraphale started, trailing off after a second.

“You really I thought I was ssstraight?” Crowley turned to see that the blonde had moved to stand off to his side.

“Well, I mean…you don’t come off like most gay man in the club scene.” Aziraphale pointed out, and Crowley couldn’t argue that point. “And you have a son.”

“Lotsss of gay men have biological children.” Crowley said as he glanced over at the blonde.

Aziraphale gave him an annoyed look and all Crowley could do was laugh softly, and the small huff that came from the blonde only caused Crowley to laugh louder. Aziraphale shook his head as he tried to fight back the smile that started to show up on his own face.

“I’m a bit flattered, really.” Crowley said. “It’sss been a long time since anyone thought I was ssstraight.”

“I don’t go around assuming everyone I meet is gay. You never said weather your ex was a man or a woman, and considering you have a son…” Aziraphale moved out of the way as Crowley moved to plate dinner. “I’m sorry if I offended you.”

“I’m not offended, angel.” Crowley said with a smirk.

Silence filled the kitchen as Crowley felt Aziraphale watching him put together the three plates. Crowley turned around with his son’s plate in and noticed the blonde looking at his forearms. He knew Aziraphale was looking at the tattoos, but there was something about the moment that struck Crowley with something he didn’t want to think about.

“I wasn't expecting you to have a floral sleeve.” Aziraphale said as he went to grab the other two plates, his eyes taking in Crowley's completely covered left forearm.

“No one ever doesss.” Crowley chuckled, motioning towards the table when Adam looked up at him.

“I drew the duck one on Dad’s arm.” Adam said as he slid into one of the chairs, beaming brightly as his plate was set down.

Crowley turned so Aziraphale could see the tattoo that lined the outside of his right forearm; two ducks, one slightly bigger than the other, sat just below his wrist with a trail of prints leading from his elbow. All of the tattoos on his body had a story behind them, but that particular one was the one he cherished the most.

“It’s lovely, Adam.” Aziraphale smiled softly as he sat down once he had placed the other two plates down.

“Thanks. I drew it for Dad when he came back this year.” The six year old took a bite of the chicken they were having, turning back to look at Aziraphale. “He had to go away for a while because his boyfriend left…”

“Adam, don’t talk with food in your mouth.” Crowley quickly cut in, a small sense of panic rising in him. “How about we talk about sssomething else, yeah? Tell Mr. Fell what you did at school today.”

Once Adam had finished with the bite he had taken, he wasted no time in telling the blonde all about his day at school and about his three best friends. Crowley looked at Aziraphale and just gave him a small smile at the curious look on his face before both men gave their attention to the conversation with Adam.

Even though he hoped he could avoid any questions about what his son had started to say, Crowley knew Aziraphale enough to know that the other man would somehow bring it up. And Crowley wasn’t sure what the end result of that conversation would be.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rest of the evening had been nothing short of fun and entertaining, and it had surprised both adults when Adam asked Aziraphale to read him to bed; of course, no one had realized it how much time had passed since dinner. It had taken the six year old all of ten seconds to get the blonde to agree, and Crowley had used that time to clean up properly. By the time Aziraphale had made his way back from Adam’s room, Crowley had finished cleaning and was wiping down the table.

“Thank you for dinner.” Aziraphale said a smile.

“You don’t have to thank me.” Crowley shrugged as he made his way back to the kitchen. “Do you want another glass of wine?”

“If you’re going to have one.”

It only took a few moments for both glasses to be filled and both men to settle on to the couch. Crowley watched as Aziraphale took a sip of his wine, and he made a quick decision.

“What Adam sssaid at dinner…about my tattoo…” Crowley started.

“You don’t have to talk about it, Crowley.” Aziraphale rushed to say, giving him a reassuring smile.

“No, I should. You probably got questionsss and…” the red head took a long sip of his wine before adjusting his position on the couch. “My ex-boyfriend, um…the one who gave me the Bentley, the one I wasss a sugar baby to…we had a bad breakup, and I ssspiraled. I fell into the darker ssside of nightlife…I ended up going to rehab because my behavior concerned everyone. It wasss more common for me to be high on sssomething than for me to be sssober.”

Crowley turned to look at the wine glass in his hand. While that particular part of his life wasn’t easy to talk about, he had never had this much trouble discussing it with people. And he couldn’t help but wonder why the idea of losing Aziraphale over this bothered him so much.

“I came back from rehab on Adam’s sixth birthday, and…I have ssso much to make up for when it comesss to him.” Crowley sighed softly. “I missed nearly two yearsss of his life.”

“It’s clear to anyone how much Adam loves you, Crowley. The fact that you’re trying, and succeeding, is all that matters.” Aziraphale said as he looked at him.

“I know but he wasss old enough to remember the fact that I wasn’t there.” Crowley pointed out as he glanced up at Aziraphale. “I’m afraid I ruined his idea of relationshipsss. Especially the idea of what happensss when a relationship endsss.”

“I’m sure that’s not true. I’m sure that you and Lilith will be able to show him that what happened isn’t what normally happens after a relationship ends.” Aziraphale leaned forward and gently placed his hand on Crowley’s knee, giving him a reassuring smile.

Crowley looked at him and there was something on Aziraphale’s face that brought a smile to his own face. He ignored the feeling that came with the gentle weight of Aziraphale’s hand on his knee and brought his glass up to take a quick sip.

“Thank you, angel.” Crowley said softly after a moment.

They shared a smile, and Crowley realized he was lucky that Aziraphale wasn’t the type of person to judge anyone because of their past actions. The two spent another few hours talking about whatever came to mind, and by eleven o’clock Crowley was walking Aziraphale towards the front door when the blonde’s cab arrived.

“Goodnight, angel.” Crowley chuckled at the slight blush that appeared at the use of the nickname.

“Goodnight, my dear.” Aziraphale said before making his way out of the flat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna start this off by saying I didn't mean to go this long without updating. But the holidays happened, then I was sick, and then work...but I've entered the slow season at my job so I'll be able to get back to updating this at least once a week.
> 
> Next off, thank you to everyone who has been reading this and left a comment/subscribed/bookmarked this fic. And thank you for still sticking with it even after the longer than expected stretch between updates.


	7. you just took me by surprise and i can’t believe my eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley finds himself on the receiving end of a few surprises, some better than others

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little heads up for some mentions of a non-consensual video recording. It's nothing graphic, but it is mentioned and addressed. If you'd prefer to skip over that part, stop reading after the first "xxxxxxxxxx" and pick back up after the second "xxxxxxx"

Crowley shook his head as Adam’s voice carried from his room, the occasional bark from Dog tagging along. Their visit with Aziraphale had been cut short due to dinner plans the blonde had made with his parents and Crowley had found himself asking the other man to join him for dinner that Thursday, promising to have a surprise in store for the night. Of course he hadn’t realized that his six year old son was standing right there at the time. And now, nearly an hour later, he was still waiting for the inevitable questions Adam would ask.

“What if Dad gets mad at me for asking though?” it was clear Adam was trying to whisper, but he also had no grasp of the concept. “I just want him to be happy again, Dog.”

Crowley’s heart broke at the sadness in his son’s voice, and he hated himself for causing that level of sadness. He waited a few more moments to see if Adam would venture out of his room to talk about whatever was on his mind. He sighed softly and got up from the couch, quietly making his way towards his son’s room.

He stopped in the doorway and leaned against the frame, watching as Adam dragged one of Dog’s toys in random patterns. Dog was watching the toy intently, and Crowley would have smiled at the scene if it wasn’t for the expression on the six year old’s face.

“Everything okay, kiddo?” Crowley asked after another moment.

“Do you and Mr. Fell like each other?” Adam tilted his head slightly as he looked at his father. “Because it sounded like you were asking him out the way Daniel asks Mum out.”

“Would that bother you if I did like him?” Crowley moved to sit on the edge of the bed, watching his son carefully.

“Is that your way of saying you do like him?”

There was a pause as Crowley thought over the question, re-evaluating the last few months since he had first walked into the bookshop. He could feel Adam staring at him as he waited for an answer, and that did nothing but cause a small sense of panic rise in Crowley. He knew that there was no reason to actually feel any type of panic over the question, but he didn’t know what to tell the six year old.

Did he find Aziraphale attractive? Of course he did, he wasn’t blind. And had he been finding himself entertaining thoughts about their relationship becoming more than friendship? Yeah, but to be fair he had only just started to acknowledge that particular thought recently.

But between the last time Crowley had been in a serious relationship and the reputation he had earned himself, he wasn’t too sure how to answer Adam. Telling his son that he did, in fact, like Aziraphale could potentially make Adam worry about a repeat of the previous year; it could also potentially end up dragging the other man into the mess that was Crowley’s life.

“I don’t know.” Crowley finally said with a small shrug. “That’sss why I’ve been spending time with Mr. Fell without you. I’m trying to figure out if he might like me the way I like him.”

“I think he does like you, Dad. And I think you should ask him out the way Daniel asks out Mum.” Adam said as he reached over to run his hand along Dog’s back.

“Why do you think that?” the red head raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Because Mr. Fell makes you happy. And if you’re happy, then you won’t leave me again.” Adam’s voice dropped slightly.

Crowley sighed and gently patted the mattress next time. As soon as Adam had climbed up, he wasted no time in wrapping an arm around the boy and holding him close.

“Adam, you know what happened lassst year had nothing to do with you, right?” he gently rubbed Adam’s arm as he looked at him, frowning slightly when Adam nodded slightly. “I mean it, Adam. I would never willingly leave you, kiddo.”

“Even if you get really sad?” Adam turned his head to look up and Crowley could see the tears swimming in his blue eyes.

“I told you that I am never going to get that sssad again, or leave you. You’re going to get annoyed with me because I refuse to leave.” Crowley smiled softly as he pulled his son on to his lap, playfully poking Adam’s side.

“I’d never get annoyed by you, Dad.” Adam giggled as he leaned back against Crowley. “You’re my best friend.”

Crowley smiled and placed a kiss on top of Adam’s head, holding him close. It had only been a few months since he had left rehab, and to hear his son say that made his heart swell with love and happiness. He wouldn’t have blamed Adam if the boy had kept some kind of emotional distance from Crowley. But the last few months since Adam’s sixth birthday had only shown Crowley that his stay in rehab hadn’t done nearly as much damage to their relationship as he had feared.

“Hey, Dad?” Adam’s voice pulled Crowley out of his thoughts. “Can I have ice cream?”

“Did you finish your homework?” Crowley raised an eyebrow as Adam moved off of his lap to pet Dog.

“Yep!” the six year old exclaimed, the ‘p’ giving off a popping sound.

“Well then, I ‘spose we could have sssome ice cream.” Crowley drawled as he rubbed his chin, pretending to think. “I think I sssaw that there was a Golden Girlsss marathon.”

As soon as he mentioned the Golden Girls, Adam’s face broke into a grin before running out of his bedroom faster than Crowley could blink. He shook his head and chuckled as he looked at Dog, who somehow managed to look confused. The red head slowly got to his feet, taking a moment stretch out his back before gently rubbing at his right thigh.

“C’mon, Dog. Let Adam introduce you to the best show ever created.” He motioned with his head for the puppy to chase after Adam, smiling when Dog took off just as fast as his son had.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Crowley’s mobile had started going off early into the Golden Girls marathon, but he had paid it no attention; text notifications and social media alerts were things he could put off for a while, as long as no one tried calling him. By the time he had put Adam to bed, his mobile had been set to silent due to the constant texts and alerts he was receiving.

“Night, Daddy.” Adam mumbled as he curled up under his covers, hugging his plush snake to his chest.

“Night, hell ssspawn.” Crowley leaned down and kissed the side of the boy’s head.

After giving Dog a good night ear scratch, Crowley quietly slipped out of the room and left the door cracked open. It didn’t take long before he was back to sitting on the couch and looking at his mobile where it sat on the end table. Taking a deep breath, he reached over to grab his mobile and instantly regretted it as soon as he saw all the messages and alerts on the lock screen.

_Crowley has his own personal Heaven in his back office_

_Now we know what @vaguelysauntering means by VIP treatment_

_Seems Nine Circles’ resident hell raiser might be starting a new career_

Crowley narrowed his eyes as he continued to read through all the social media alerts, trying to figure out exactly what was going on before he opened any apps. Clearly whatever was creating all this buzz was only available to view through Twitter, but he knew he needed to check his text messages before he did anything. Especially when he saw the amount of times Lucian and Anathema had texted him, there were even a few from Lilith and that made him start to worry.

Anathema: _Did you agree to let that guy record you?_

Lucian: _I’m working on getting that video taken down and tracking that creep down. Anathema’s already working on doing damage control._

Anathema: _Whenever you get the chance, you need to make some type of post about what exactly happened last night, Crowley._

Lucian: _Ellie’s working on getting those gossipers to take down everything about you giving the all clear for the video. How are you doing with all of this?_

Ellie: _Crowley, now is not the time for radio silence. At least let Lucian know you’re okay._

He scrolled through countless more messages of everyone talking about whatever this video was and asking if he was doing okay. He thought back to the night before and couldn’t think of any video that had been taken of him, or why he wouldn’t be okay. And then he came across Lilith’s text.

Lilith: _Anthony, you better not have been making a fucking sex tape last night. You do realize what could happen with this out on the Internet, right?_

“Sssex tape?” Crowley whispered before finally clicking over to Twitter.

It only took a few moments to find what had started the whole thing, and Crowley felt his heart plummet into his stomach as he stared at the tweet.

_@vaguelysauntering made sure I got the VIP treatment at @NineCircles so I made sure give him an extra special tip. Well…it was really him giving me the tip ;)_

Crowley swallowed as his gaze shifted to the video that was under the tweet. He took a quick breath before hitting play and watched in growing horror as the footage of his cock thrusting into the mouth of whoever he had taken into his office the night before played out. While he didn’t exactly remember who he had taken back with him, he did know that he hadn’t gotten anyone on to the VIP list. And he definitely remembered that he hadn’t agreed to any type of video recording.

He closed out of the app before throwing his phone on to the cushion next to him, burying his face in his hands. A shaky breath left him as he tried to process exactly what was going on. He knew that no matter what was said or done at this point, the damage had already been done. The video had been seen and it was only going to enforce the reputation surrounding Crowley.

“Fuck!” he hissed as he leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

Crowley wasn’t sure how long he had been sitting like that but he knew he needed to speak up about what had happened. Despite everyone else working to help out the situation, he knew how it would look if he stayed quiet about the whole thing. He took a deep breath before grabbing his mobile again and pulling up his camera.

It took a few moments for him to compose himself as he thought over exactly what he was going to say. He knew he couldn’t truly express how angry he was for fear of saying the wrong thing, but he also couldn’t play too much of the victim card. It was a fine line he was about to tread on.

With one last deep breath, he hit record.

“Hi guysss, Crowley here.” He gave a small little wave to the camera. “I know a video hasss come up about sssomething that happened in my office lassst night. While I’m not going to deny that I’ve used my office to hook up with men, I will sssay that I have never been in the business of recording myself. That video was taken without my knowledge or consent.”

He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a small sigh.

“I also want to sssay that I have never let anyone have VIP treatment jussst because I found them attractive, or because I wasss offered sssome type of sexual favor.” He continued, making sure to keep his voice low enough so he didn’t wake up Adam. “I have also never accepted any sexual act as a form of payment for anything. I’m not sure what thisss guy wasss trying to accomplish with that video, but it failed. I’ll end thisss by asking you lot not to share that video, and help me by reporting any resurgence of the video. Thank you.”

As soon as he stopped recording, Crowley set about posting the video to his Twitter and Instagram accounts. The next hour was spent with him responding to messages from followers and to the texts from the others, and that had led to a call from Lilith. The call had been kept short due to the fact at how late it was getting, but there had been enough time for Lilith to lecture him about his habit of having sex in his office.

“I know it isn’t exactly the best place, but I have no other optionsss.” Crowley sighed as he quietly made his way to his bedroom. “I’m not taking anyone back to my place, and I can’t exactly leave the club to shag a stranger.”

“I know, but I just want you to be careful. Luckily your face wasn’t in it…” Lilith sighed on the other end.

“Hang on…did you watch it?” Crowley cut her off, a slight smirk appearing on his face.

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, Anthony.” He could practically hear her rolling her eyes, and all he could do was chuckle. “Maybe think about not fucking someone in your office this weekend, yeah?”

“What am I supposed to do instead?” he asked as he grabbed a pair of his pajama pants.

“Masturbate like the rest of us.” Before he could respond, Lilith continued. “Have a good night, Crowley.”

The line went dead and all Crowley could do was laugh. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Crowley, I told you…nightclubs aren’t my idea of a nice night out.” Aziraphale huffed as he looked up at the building ahead.

The music playing inside could be faintly heard from where they stood, and Crowley knew he was going to have to really work up his charm for his surprise to work. He gently nudged Aziraphale’s shoulder with his own, smirking when the blonde looked over.

“We jussst have to walk through to get where we’re going.” Crowley assured. “It’ll be worth it.”

“You can’t possibly know that, Crowley.” Aziraphale said as he looked at the red head with a hint of doubt.

“I promise you’ll enjoy yourself.” Crowley grinned before motioning towards the club with his head. “Trust me, angel.”

Before Aziraphale could respond, Crowley grabbed his hand and led him up to the building. All it took was a quick nod of acknowledgement for the bouncer to let them in, and in a matter of seconds the two were making their way through the club. As they weaved their way through the crowds of people, Crowley seemed hyperaware of Aziraphale’s hand in his and cause a slight flip of his stomach.

It took a few minutes for the pair to get through the main room of the club and ending up at a stairway that led to a lower level. Crowley looked back at Aziraphale, and the look of confusion on the blonde’s face only encouraged the red head even more. Without letting go of the other man’s hand, Crowley led him down the stairs and to a door.

“Ready to be amazed, angel?” Crowley smirked as he looked over his shoulder.

“You’re not about to drag me into something…explicit, are you?” Aziraphale asked with a note of suspicion.

The sunglasses hid Crowley’s eye roll before he pulled the door open, motioning for Aziraphale to walk into a smaller room with a second, heavier looking door. As soon as the first door closed behind Crowley, he pulled open the second one and smiled at the small gasp that left Aziraphale.

Behind the door was practically another nightclub, but this one was vastly different than the one above. The room the two stood in seemed much more like a piano bar from the 1940s than it did a nightclub, although there was a touch of modern style running throughout. Crowley watched as Aziraphale took everything in, the awe and excitement clearly showing on his face.

“C’mon, angel. Our table awaitsss.” Crowley grinned before leading Aziraphale to a table that already had fresh drinks.

“Were we expected?” Aziraphale asked as he looked from the table to Crowley.

“I might have told a friend we were coming.” The red head drawled as he pulled out a chair for the blonde.

There was a brief pause as the two looked at each other, and Crowley felt his breath catch in his throat at the faint blush that appeared across Aziraphale’s face. The air around the table suddenly felt heavy as Aziraphale softly thanked Crowley before taking a seat, Crowley’s body on autopilot as he also pushed the chair in slightly.

He took a seat in the chair next to Aziraphale and quickly picked up the glass in front of him, taking a drink. He could feel the other man staring at him and Crowley suddenly wondered if he had done too much too fast, or if he had made a mistake.

“This is just…well, I didn’t expect this.” Aziraphale chuckled as he went back to looking around them. “Especially after walking through that…orgy upstairs.”

“That hardly countsss for an orgy, angel.” Crowley laughed softly.

“I beg to disagree, but regardless…this is absolutely lovely, dear.” The blonde looked back at Crowley, his hand moving to rest lightly on Crowley’s forearm.

They shared a smile before falling into a quiet conversation, enjoying their drinks and the music that was coming from the piano in the corner. The conversation briefly turned towards how Crowley had found out about the club, and how the soundproofing worked to keep out the music from the club above.

As the night went on, Crowley noticed the way Aziraphale’s gaze kept drifting to the couples dancing on the dance floor near the piano. An idea had formed and Crowley made the quick decision to make the idea a reality. All he had to do was plan everything just right, and hope that he wouldn’t make an idiot of himself.

“Do you want another one?” he asked once Aziraphale finished his drink.

“If you’re going to have another.” Aziraphale gave him a smile.

“Be right back.” Crowley got up and made his way towards the bar.

It only took a few minutes to do what he needed to do at the bar, walking back towards the table with their drinks once he had sorted everything out. Aziraphale flashed him another smile as his drink was placed down in front of him, and Crowley felt his stomach do another flip at the bright smile.

“Can I ask you something?” Aziraphale asked as he watched Crowley carefully take off his sunglasses.

“’Course you can.” Crowley took a sip of his drink and looked at the other man.

“Why do you wear your sunglasses everywhere?” the blonde glanced at the designer sunglasses as he picked up his own drink.

“Sssort of became my signature.” The red head shrugged. “When I first got into the nightlife, I kept forgetting to take them off. Eventually…it became part of my persona.”

Aziraphale nodded as he set his glass down, and Crowley could see his debating on something. He leaned back in his chair and waited for Aziraphale to work out whatever it was that he was deciding on.

“It’s a shame that you do wear them almost all the time.” Aziraphale eventually said, giving a shy smile as Crowley lifted an eyebrow. “Your eyes are rather beautiful, dear.”

“Ngk.” Crowley let out as his body tensed slightly, a blush quickly spreading across his face.

Aziraphale let out a nervous laugh and turned to look out at the dance floor again. Crowley just stared at him as he tried to process exactly what was going on, although he didn’t have nearly enough time before a new song began playing on the piano. At the small smile that appeared on Aziraphale’s face at the song, the red head carefully got to his feet and cleared his throat to get the blonde’s attention.

“Dance with me.” Crowley said once Aziraphale was looking up at him.

“I’m sorry?” Aziraphale narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Dance with me, angel.” He repeated with a smile, holding out his hand.

“Crowley…” the blonde stared.

“You’ve been looking at the dance floor all night, Aziraphale.” The red head softly cut him off. “Jussst one dance, ‘s all I’m asking.”

There was a moment as the two looked at each other, and Crowley began feeling as if he had made a terrible escape. He took a small breath and went for one last attempt to convince the other man.

“C’mon, angel. ‘S your favorite sssong after all.” He said as he wiggled his fingers slightly, chuckling at the confused look on the other man’s face. “You hum along every time you hear it on the radio.”

“Well…when you put it like that.” Aziraphale sighed before he grabbed the offered hand.

Crowley smiled as he led Aziraphale to the small dance floor, wasting no time to rest his free hand on the blonde’s waist. He gave a playful wink once Aziraphale had placed his free hand on Crowley’s shoulder, the two settling into a rhythm much quicker than Crowley had expected.

A comfortable silence fell over the them as they gently swayed to the music. Crowley couldn’t help but notice how natural it all felt, and that caused him to hold Aziraphale slightly closer. He leaned back just enough to look at the blonde when he realized that Aziraphale wasn’t exactly relaxed.

“What’s wrong?” Crowley asked softly.

“Nothing’s…wrong, per say.” Aziraphale said as he glanced around. “People are staring and…”

“And?” Crowley prompted, his own eyes looking around to see only a few people looking at them.

“I just feel like they’re judging us…judging me.” The blonde said quietly. 

“They’re not judging, they’re jealousss.” The red head corrected as he gave a soft smile. “They’re all wondering how I got lucky enough to be able to dance with you, jealousss that they’re not the onesss dancing with you.”

Aziraphale rolled his eyes as he looked at Crowley, the doubt showing clearly in his blue-grey eyes. The way he was staring at the red head would have been adorable if it wasn’t for the fact that Aziraphale clearly didn’t believe Crowley.

“I highly doubt that’s the case, Crowley.” He muttered. “Anyone can see that I don’t exactly…fit your type.”

“And what exactly is my type?” Crowley raised an eyebrow. “I mean, you’ve already been wrong about my type once.”

“Just look at me, Crowley.” Aziraphale huffed. “You won’t hurt my feelings by admitting I’m right.”

Crowley stepped back slightly as he looked at Aziraphale, taking him in. It only took a moment before he pulled the blonde back into his arms, continuing their dance as a new song began playing. 

“My type is attractive men, Aziraphale.” Crowley said softly as he looked at him. “And you absolutely fit that type.”

He chuckled softly at the blush that quickly appeared on the blonde’s face, and that only made Aziraphale blush even more. Aziraphale ducked his head to hide in the crook of Crowley’s neck and the red head held the blonde closer, smiling slight. Even after the laughter died down, Aziraphale made no real move to put distance between them as they continued to dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna start by saying a big thank you to everyone who has read this and commented/subscribed/bookmarked/left a kudos. And thank you for staying with this story despite how random the updates have been so far.
> 
> Second off, I wanna apologize once again for the long stretch between updates. January ended up being a busy (mentally, physically, and personally) month for me and I had to put my focus on this story on hold. But I promise I will not go this long without an update again.
> 
> I also wanna apologize for what I did to Crowley this chapter, but I promise you there is a reason behind that video. Even if it doesn't seem like so now.
> 
> As always you can find me on Twitter (doitlikedamien) and Tumblr (a-rare-gift), and you can further support this story on Ko-Fi (doitlikedamien)


	8. what did you give me to make my heart beat out my chest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night out with friends leads Crowley and Aziraphale down a path neither one of them thought they would be taking

Crowley had been doing his best to ignore the fact that Anathema had been staring at him for the last hour as she made sure the bar was set up for that night; he had even managed to ignore the stares from Newt and Daisy as they ran through some last minute audio checks. However, he couldn’t ignore the staring anymore once Ligur and Oliver started snickering.

“Care to share why you lot are ssso bloody obsessed with me today?” Crowley growled as he looked around at everyone.

“No one’s obsessed with you, Crowley.” Ellie sighed as they walked pass him, ignoring the glare sent their way.

“The ssstaring and snickering saysss otherwise.” The red head mumbled, turning his attention to Ligur and Oliver.

That only seemed to make the two men laugh harder and Crowley had had enough. He took a few purposeful steps forward and felt a sense of pride at how quickly the other two jumped back, Ligur tripping over his own feet and falling backwards.

“Servesss you right.” Crowley laughed as he looked at Ligur.

“We were just wondering when you’re going to bring your boyfriend around.” Oliver fixed Crowley with a stare as he helped Ligur up.

“My what now?”

“That bookshop owner.” Ligur clarified.

“We are not dating.” Crowley shook his head and tried to ignore the other four pair of eyes on him. “We’re jussst…friendsss.”

He didn’t need to be looking at the other four people around him to know that he was receiving four different versions of a doubtful expression. There was a moment of silence before the red head waved off the two men in front of him. He had every intention of letting the subject die solely to save himself the embarrassment of blushing like a schoolboy, but of course he should have remembered who he was around.

“That’s not what Adam says.” Lucian pointed out as he walked in from the back hallway, a wicked smirk on his face. “According to my nephew, you’re basically dating Mr. Fell.”

“I’m not…I mean…you sssee…” Crowley trailed off at the knowing look on Lucian’s face.

“Oooooh, Crowley likes a boy.” Daisy teasingly chanted from her spot at the DJ booth.

“Did you hear that, Bee? Crowley’s got a crush.” Newt joined in just before him and Daisy dissolved into a fit of laughter.

Crowley let out a small growl before turning to fix Daisy and Newt with his best glare. The glare did nothing to stop their laughter, and Crowley chalked that up to the fact that there was a good distance between them. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ellie shake their head despite the small smile they were fighting back.

He rolled his eyes and walked over to the bar, silently helping Anathema with the set up. He sensed rather than saw Lucian walk over and just chose to wait for the continued teasing. After all, it wasn’t often that Crowley got this flustered over a man.

“Invite him to dinner tomorrow.” Lucian’s suggestion caught Crowley off guard, and it must have shown on his face. “Bring him to our pre-work dinner and introduce him to us.”

There was the sound of everyone agreeing and a smile tugged at the corner of the red head’s mouth.

“And then what? Ditch him for work?” Crowley scoffed slightly, although it meant a lot that everyone wanted to meet Aziraphale.

“No, dumbass.” Ellie looked up from what they were doing and shook their head. “Bring him with us and have a nice night. Me and the Gruesome Twosome can look after your tables.”

There was a small sound of protest from Oliver and Ligur at the nickname, but it was short lived at the look Ellie shot them. Instead the two men muttered their agreement with what Ellie had said; it never ceased to entertain Crowley the power Ellie held over some members of the Gang.

“Now you have no reason to keep your new boy toy hidden from us.” Ellie turned their attention back to Crowley, a smug smirk on their face.

“Don’t call him my boy toy.” Crowley fixed them with a warning glare before continuing. “Nightclubsss aren’t really his scene.”

“But you could still invite him.” Anathema pointed out, glancing up from the drink station she was setting up. “An invitation goes a long way, Crowley.”

Crowley sighed heavily at the agreeing sounds from the others. It wasn’t that he was hiding Aziraphale, but he didn’t want to risk ruining things before they really started. And on the slim chance that the blonde did accept the invitation to join the Gang at Nine Circles the next night, Crowley’s club persona could be reason enough to send Aziraphale running the opposite direction.

Of course, Anathema did have a point; it would show that Crowley wanted Aziraphale to be involved in all aspects of his life, even if some aspects weren’t to the blonde’s tastes. And at the very least it would give the red head an excuse to treat Aziraphale to a nice dinner.

“Fine. But you lot need to be on your best behavior.” Crowley said as he looked around at everyone. “I don’t want to ssscare him off too soon.”

“Don’t worry, Crowley.” Lucian smiled as slapped Crowley’s back. “We’ll only just embarrass you a bit.”

Crowley let out a small hiss as laughter filled the empty the club. He shook his head and grumbled something about going to his office, although that was really an excuse for him to hide the smile that wanted to make an appearance.

“We’re leaving for dinner in twenty minutes.” Ellie called after him.

“Alright. I won’t be long.”

As soon as he got into his office, Crowley pulled out his mobile and scrolled through his contacts until he came across Aziraphale’s name. He started to send a text message but stopped halfway, knowing that the blonde preferred actual phone calls over texts. Plus there would be no chance for the invitation to be mistaken as halfhearted.

He felt that familiar feeling of nerves settle in his stomach as he waited for Aziraphale to answer. Crowley knew it was pointless to be this nervous over inviting Aziraphale out, especially considering that this outing would be far less date-like than any of the previous times. But there he was, standing in his office feeling as if he was getting ready to ask the other man out for a romantic dinner.

“Crowley, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you this evening.” Aziraphale’s cheerful voice came from the other line, and Crowley couldn’t help but grin at the sound. “Is everything alright, dear?”

“Yeah, everything’sss fine.” Crowley quickly assured as he leaned on the edge of his desk. “Jussst wanted to ask you a quick question, angel.”

There was a pause and Crowley realized that Aziraphale was waiting for him to continue.

“My matesss and I normally have dinner before the club opensss, and I…I wasss, uh…I wasss wondering if…if you wanted to join.” He kept his gaze focused on the floor as he stumbled through the question. “And maybe…if you wanted to, I could…could treat you to a night at the club afterwardsss.”

Crowley held his breath as he waited for Aziraphale’s answer.

“I appreciate the invitation, Crowley, but…well, I don’t want to cramp your style, so to say.” Aziraphale said.

“You wouldn’t be doing that, angel. I want you to come.” Crowley said, shifting to sit on the edge of his desk. “And so do my matesss. They’re dying to meet you. In fact, they told me to invite you because they’ve heard so much about you.”

“Really?” the red head could practically see the surprised look on the blonde’s face.

“Would I lie to you?”

Crowley chuckled at the small huff that sounded from the other line. There was another small stretch of silence, although this time it was much more comfortable than before.

“If I join you for dinner, I don’t have to go to the club if I don’t want to, right?” Aziraphale eventually asked.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, angel.” Crowley promised.

“In that case, what time should I be ready? And how should I dress?” his tone gave away that he was starting to fret at the idea of going out to dinner with the group.

“I’ll pick you up around six, and just dress as you normally would.” Crowley said softly.

“I want to make a good impression, Crowley.” Aziraphale sighed and Crowley could hear those blue-grey eyes roll.

“And you will. Jussst be yourself, angel. They’re going to love you.”

Crowley slid off of the desk when he heard a knock on the office door, taking a moment to stretch his leg.

“I hate to cut this short, angel, but I’ve got to go.” Crowley said.

“Have a good night at work, dear.” Aziraphale said with a tone that told Crowley that soft smile was on the blonde’s face. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, tomorrow. Good night, angel.” Crowley said softly before hanging up.

He took a deep breath just as he left his office, preparing himself for the teasing he would receive when he told the gang that Aziraphale was at least joining them for dinner the next night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Are you sure that I look alright?” Aziraphale asked as he looked down at himself.

“You look fine, angel.” Crowley assured as he looked over at the blonde, giving him a smile. “If anything, they’re going to gush about what you’re wearing and at least one of them will be wearing a waistcoat and bowtie next week.”

He wanted to laugh at the look Aziraphale gave him, but knew better than to give into that urge. So instead he just gave the blonde a reassuring smile as they walked into the restaurant together. Crowley gave a few waves to some of the wait staff as he led the blonde back towards the Gang’s regular table.

“Jussst relax and be yourself, angel.” Crowley said as he moved to stand in front of the other man before they approached the table. “And if it getsss to be too much, let me know and we’ll leave.”

“I’m sure that won’t be necessary, dear.” Aziraphale gave him a smile, although Crowley could tell he was putting on a brave face.

“I mean it, Aziraphale.” The red head said as he took off his sunglasses; he needed the blonde to know that he was serious. “I don’t want to ssscare you off too quickly.”

Aziraphale opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of Crowley’s name being called. Instead of saying anything, the blonde gave a reassuring smile before gently taking the sunglasses and placing them back on to Crowley’s face. The red head held his breath as Aziraphale’s thumb brushed along his temple, although Crowley wasn’t sure if it had been intentional or not.

“We probably shouldn’t keep the others waiting.” Aziraphale pointed out when Crowley’s name was called again.

“’Spose you’re right.” Crowley took a breath before turning around, leading Aziraphale to the others.

Crowley instantly noticed all four pairs of eyes trained on Aziraphale as they approached the table, and it made him grab the blonde’s hand as a way to reassure him everything was okay. A small smile tried to make itself known when Aziraphale gently squeezed Crowley’s hand, but the red head successfully hid it; the others didn’t need any more reason to think that their friend had been secretly dating the blonde.

When they reached the table he fully expected Aziraphale to let go of his hand, but he was pleasantly surprised when the older man held on. There was a slight pause as the two men stared at the four people looking at them, all wearing matching grins.

“You gonna introduce us to your friend, Crowley?” Ellie asked as they turned to look at Crowley. “Or you gonna continue to stand there and be a rude little shit?”

“Jussst for that, you’re not getting an introduction.” Crowley teased. “Aziraphale, this isss everyone. Everyone, this isss Aziraphale.”

Aziraphale gave a little wave to the others as he took one of the empty seats, Crowley sitting down next to him. As soon as they had settled, a server seemingly came out of nowhere to take their drink orders. 

“Well that was a piss poor introduction.” Oliver laughed at the glare Crowley gave from behind his sunglasses.

“I’m getting to it, calm down.” Crowley sighed, pointing to everyone as he properly introduced them. “Lucian, Ellie, Oliver, and Nathan.”

“And who all is who, according to your line of work?” Aziraphale looked up and thanked their server when his drink was set down.

“He knows about our club names? Seems like a keeper to me, Crowley.” Lucian chuckled at the blush that appeared on the red head’s cheeks. “I’m Lucifer, Ellie is Beelzebub, Oliver is Hastur, and that would leave Nathan to be Ligur.”

“You can call me Bee though, everyone does.” Ellie said, rolling their eyes at Lucian and Crowley clearing their throats. “Well, everyone expect those two idiots.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” The blonde smiled.

Crowley listened as everyone did their best to get to know Aziraphale, all while making sure not to bombard him with too many questions at once. He had been prepared to jump in at any second if it seemed like the attention was too much but it was clear that Aziraphale was enjoying the conversation with the Gang.

By the time everyone had placed their dinner orders, the conversation had turned to the others telling Aziraphale whatever they could to embarrass Crowley. And it seemed the more he tried to change the subject, the more the blonde encouraged hearing whatever stories he could get.

And as they ate their dinner, it was clear that Crowley was fighting a losing battle.

“When Crowley and Lilith ended their relationship, he was so convinced that I was going to kick him out of our group that he faked being sick for a whole week.” Lucian chuckled as he finished his glass of wine. “It got to the point where I was ready to drag his scrawny ass to see a doctor.”

“It wasn’t a whole week.” Crowley argued, shaking his head at the sounds of Aziraphale’s laughter.

“You’re right, it was almost two weeks.” Ellie chimed in.

“I decided to fuck with him and that’s how Oliver and Ligur ended up joining the Gang.” Lucian finished, grinning over at Crowley.

“I had a panic attack over the idea that you replaced me.” The red head pointed out.

“Served you right for assuming that doubting our friendship.” Lucian countered as he leaned back in his seat, looking off to his left and nodding his head slightly.

The next few minutes saw the conversation shift to Aziraphale recalling his brief nightlife experience. As Crowley listened to the blonde tell his own stories, he couldn’t help but noticed just how well everyone was getting along. The Gang welcoming the older man with open arms didn’t surprise him; despite their images and personas, they were they friendliest people Crowley knew. What did surprise was how quickly Aziraphale let himself relax around them; of course there were still the slight fretting and worrying that Crowley found endearing, but it was different from the uncomfortable and anxious way Aziraphale had been when Crowley had picked him up.

“You are coming with us to the club, right?” Ligur leaned forward slightly as he looked at Aziraphale.

The blonde paused in putting his empty wine glass down. There was a moment of silence and Crowley could almost see the older man try to come up with a polite way of declining the invitation.

“Oh, um…thank you, but…that’s not really my scene anymore.” Aziraphale gave his best apologetic smile. “Not that it was ever really my scene to begin with.”

“Oh, come on Azi.” Lucian said, ignoring the small huff form the blonde at the name. “We’d love for you to join us. You could meet the rest of Crowley’s little family.”

Crowley adjusted in his seat to sit up a bit straighter. He had promised Aziraphale that he wouldn’t have to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with, and he wasn’t about to let the others pressure the blonde into going to the club.

“Well, I suppose…I mean, I am having a wonderful time getting to know you all. And it would be nice to see Crowley in his element, so to say.” Aziraphale said with a slight smile.

“Is that a yes?” Lucian asked with a hopeful smile.

There was a small burst of cheers when Aziraphale nodded his head, and Crowley wasn’t sure if he was more shocked by how excited the other were or the fact that the blonde had agreed to go to Ninth Circle with them.

“And you could see Crowley make an ass of himself.” Ellie added with a teasing smile as their server came back over, placing a shot in front of each person.

“To a hell of a good night.” Oliver said as he grabbed his shot glass, everyone else following suit.

“And to new friends.” Lucian grinned.

There was a small round of “cheers” from the table before everyone took their shot. Well, nearly everyone.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, angel.” Crowley said quickly, his body turned slightly towards the other man.

“I know, and I do want to go. I meant it when I told Lucian that it’d be nice to see you in your element.” Aziraphale said with a small smile. “And I know that you’ll walk me home if I decide to leave early.”

Crowley looked at Aziraphale for a brief moment, trying to find any sign that the other man really didn’t want to join them. When he was convinced that Aziraphale was telling the truth, the red head smiled and tilted his shot glass slightly.

“To a hell of a good night then.”

The two shared a smile before knocking back their shots.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

If you had asked Crowley how he thought his night would end, making out with Aziraphale against one of the many bookshelves in the bookshop would never had crossed his mind.

Crowley had only meant to help Aziraphale settle into bed given the blonde’s drunken state. Once they had entered the bookshop, Aziraphale had suggested sharing one more drink and one more drink became a few more drinks. And a few more drinks had led to Aziraphale pulling Crowley in for a drunken kiss. The red head couldn’t recall what exactly had led to the kiss, but he hadn’t been in any rush to end it.

At some point they had moved from the couch to Crowley pushing Aziraphale against the bookshelf, and that was the current position the two found themselves in. Crowley knew at some point he was going to have to put an end to what they were doing, even though part of him was cheering himself on. But he’d never forgive himself if he ruined things with Aziraphale.

Crowley let out a loud grunt as he felt his back hit the bookshelf; he hadn’t even realized Aziraphale had flipped their positions. The blonde gave a smile at the red head’s breathless laugh before leaning forward, his lips attaching themselves to Crowley’s neck.

“’Zira…” Crowley moaned softly, his hands pulling at the blonde’s shirt enough to slide his hands up his back.

Aziraphale let out a small hum against Crowley’s neck as his own hands roamed along the red head’s chest. When Crowley felt the hem of his shirt rise slightly, he knew the time to hit the brakes was quickly approaching. He took a shuddering breath as he prepared to gently pushed the blonde away, but his intentions were put on pause when Aziraphale’s lips made their way up his neck and along his jaw.

There was another drunken kiss and before Crowley could even process what was happening, Aziraphale had moved to kneel in front of him and was making quick work on Crowley’s belt. The red head blinked rapidly as he tried to process what was happening. Just as Aziraphale was lowering the zipper of Crowley’s jeans, everything came into focus and he knew he had to act now.

“Angel, wa…wait.” Crowley panted as he gently grabbed Aziraphale’s wrist. “We, um…we need to ssstop.”

“What?” Aziraphale asked as he looked up, confusion mixing with the drunk expression on his face.

Crowley closed his eyes and took a deep breath to gain composure. Of course, that was proving to be difficult with Aziraphale still on his knees and his face so close to Crowley’s straining erection. He opened his eyes and carefully pulled the blonde back to his feet, keeping a hold on him as Aziraphale swayed slightly.

“Did I…did I do something wrong?” the trembling in Aziraphale’s voice pulled at Crowley’s heart.

“I jussst…we can’t do…this.” Crowley sighed as he gestured between them.

“Oh. Of…of course.” Aziraphale took a deep breath as he stumbled over to his desk. “Foolish me.”

“Foolish…?” the red head narrowed his eyes as he looked at the other man.

“Even drunk you don’t want me.”

A part of Crowley knew it was taking him much longer to realize exactly what was happening because of the alcohol, but when he did finally realize his eyes went wide and he violently shook his head.

“No! No, Azira…Angel, ‘s not like that.” Crowley took a few stumbling steps forward before he nearly fell over. “’S because we’re drunk why…why we can’t.”

“You sleep with people drunk all the time. Everyone says…says…everyone knows that.” Aziraphale pointed out, vaguely motioning to the computer behind him. “Why not me?”

“’Cause you’re ssspecial.” Crowley said bluntly, rocking slightly as he focused on staying on his feet in the slowly spinning room. “I want more than drun…drunk…more than drunken sex.”

Crowley swallowed as his eyes focused on Aziraphale, the spinning slightly increasing. Even in his not so sober state, he could tell that the blonde wasn’t exactly believing his words and Crowley knew this was not a conversation to be have when they had been drinking as much as they had.

“We should…we should sleep.” The red head mumbled, his eyes closing in an effort to escape the spinning of the room.

“You can take the guest room upstairs.’ Aziraphale yawned.

It took longer than it normally would have for the two to make their way into the upstairs flat, but they had made it with only a few stumbles and bumping into a few things. Crowley leaned against the doorframe of the guest room as he took deep breaths.

“Night, Angel.” Crowley managed as he watched Aziraphale slowly head towards his bedroom, using the wall for support.

There was a mumbled “good night” just as the blonde reached his room, the door closing behind him just a bit louder than needed. Crowley carefully closed the door behind him before heading towards the bed, tripping along the way. He had just managed to get his shoes off before falling on the bed, instantly falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that I am so sorry for the gap between updates, life and work have been crazy. And this pandemic hasn't made it any easier, but I promise I haven't forgotten about this bad boy. I'm gonna try and update a little more regularly since I'm stuck at home.
> 
> Things are getting interesting and now it's time to really get into the plot of this story. Our boys are getting closer and making some (fun) drunken choices. Will Crowley remember what happened? Will Aziraphale act like it never happned? We'll find out in the next chapter.
> 
> As always, you can find me on Twitter at doitlikedamien and Tumblr at a-rare-gift. And if you want to support this fic even further, you can find me on Ko-fi at doitlikedamien


	9. my reputation's never been worse, so you must like me for me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after finds change in the air for Crowley and Aziraphale

By the time the sun had crept through the window, Crowley had been awake for nearly an hour and replaying everything that had happened before falling asleep. The few hours of sleep he had gotten were filled with nothing but what could have happened if he hadn’t stopped Aziraphale when he did, and the result from that had been why he had woken up as early as he did. 

It had taken all of ten minutes of thinking about all of the mundane, regular life things he had to do for his erection to go away. He knew there was no point in trying to go back to sleep, so instead he had laid in Aziraphale’s guest bed and thought over everything he wanted to say. He needed to make sure there was no room for Aziraphale to doubt what Crowley was feeling, especially when the red head remembered the look of rejection on the blonde’s face before they went to sleep.

The more Crowley thought about the upcoming conversation, the more he knew that he needed to be out of bed and waiting for Aziraphale. Without wasting anymore time, he rolled out of the bed and did his best to look like he hadn’t slept in his clothes; ideally he would properly get ready but that wasn’t likely given the circumstances. He grabbed his mobile and sent a quick text to his friends to let them know he was alive and would be missing brunch before turning it on silent.

He made his way to the kitchen and began looking to see what he could cook for breakfast, a small part of him hoping that Aziraphale wouldn’t mind. It hadn’t taken long for Crowley to find what he would need to make a simple breakfast of bacon and eggs. He pulled up his music playlist on his mobile and put it on shuffle, seting the mobile on the counter once he was sure the volume wasn’t too high.

When Aziraphale did finally make his way out to the kitchen, Crowley was finishing up with the cooking and completely lost in the music coming from his mobile; not that the red head realized he was no longer alone in the kitchen.

“_It’s no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy_,” Crowley softly sang along as he bobbed his head. “’_Cause every now and then I kick the living hsit out of me_.”

“I didn’t expect you to still be here.” The sound of Aziraphale’s voice caused the red head to let out a yelp as he jumped, much to the amusement of the blonde. “Much less making breakfast.”

Crowley sent a glare towards the giggling blonde, and that seemed to just cause more giggles. The red head playfully rolled his eyes as he finished plating their breakfast, turning around to hand Aziraphale his plate.

“Why wouldn’t I be here? I sssaid we would talk when we woke up.” He reminded as they made their way to the small kitchen table. 

“I didn’t think you were serious.” Aziraphale kept his eyes on his plate, a small wiggle over taking his body. “Breakfast smells delicious, Crowley.”

“Thanksss, Angel.”

The two made light conversation as they ate, and it was obvious that Aziraphale was trying to avoid talking about what Crowley had put a stop to. But Crowley didn’t mind waiting to talk about it because he wasn’t going to leave until he told the other man what he was feeling.

“I know you have your brunch with everyone, so I’ll clean up and you can head back to your flat to get ready.” Aziraphale said once they both had finished eating, grabbing the plates and making his way back to the kitchen.

“I already told them I wouldn’t be available.” Crowley got up and followed him, leaning against the counter.

“Then I suppose you have a free day before going to work.” There was a tight smile before the blonde started cleaning up. “Either way, I won’t keep you.”

There was a small silence as Crowley just watched the other man set to cleaning the dishes. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat to get Aziraphale’s attention. When the blonde turned to look at him, the red head pushed himself off of the counter and took a step forward.

“Angel, last night…”

“Crowley, please.” Aziraphale said softly, and the rejection from before flashed in his blue-grey eyes. “You don’t have to…to explain yourself. I understand.”

“No, you don’t. The only reason I ssstopped you…” he saw Aziraphale open his mouth to cut in again, and Crowley quickly jumped to his point. “I like you, Aziraphale. And I mean…I really like you, which isss why I told you to ssstop.”

The rejection on Aziraphale’s face was replaced by what Crowley could only assume was doubt, and he quickly found himself wondering if he was doing the right thing. He never even considered that his feelings weren’t returned; maybe Aziraphale was really just looking for a hook-up.

“You don’t have to…have to flatter me or try to let me down gently.” Aziraphale gave him a small smile but the hurt still made its way to his expression.

“If I wanted to let you down gently, I would have fucked you then came up with a reason why it couldn’t happen again.” Crowley made sure Aziraphale was looking at him before continuing. “But I want more than jussst one night with you, Aziraphale. And I definitely what the first time we do sssleep together to not be after drinking at a club. I want more with you.”

The silence came back and Crowley watched as Aziraphale processed what had been said. He shifted his weight when he felt a small throb in his right leg. The longer the silence went on, the more he wished he had started this conversation when they were sitting down; Crowley always hid his nerves better when he was sitting.

“What are you saying, Crowley?” Aziraphale finally said, and there was something in his voice that Crowley couldn’t place.

“What I’m sssaying isss…isss…” he sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sssaying I want to take you on a date. Well, many datesss…um, enough datesss that I can refer to you as my boyfriend. And…and…feel free to cut me off at any time, Angel.”

“No, I’m quite enjoying you fumbling through this.” The blonde leaned back against the counter as he tried to fight back his laughter.

Crowley looked at him for a moment before shaking his head, letting out his own chuckle.

“I’m not claiming to be an expert at thisss, no matter what my reputation isss at the clubsss.” The red head said as he slowly made his way over to stand in front of the other man. “I mean, I normally only do hook upsss and one night standsss for a reason…but that isn’t the point.”

Crowley looked at Aziraphale and noticed the way the blonde was waiting for him to continue. He took a deep breath and slowly reached for one of Aziraphale’s hands, trying his best to not seem as nervous as he really was.

“The point isss…the point isss that I want a relationship with you, that I’ve wanted a relationship with you since the night I took you that lounge. And I’m telling you thisss now because you kissed me and…and…” he gave a sheepish smile. “I didn’t think you could possibly want anything more than friendship with me considering…well, everything about me. Although you could have jussst been wanting a night of sex and I’m…”

The feeling of Aziraphale’s lips against his own cut Crowley off. This kiss was very different from their first kiss, the most noticeable difference being that they were no longer drunk. The kiss lasted long enough for Crowley to know that he was being ridiculous in doubting Aziraphale’s intentions, and when it finally ended the red head couldn’t help the blush that was spreading down his neck.

“I want nothing more than be in a relationship with you, dear.” Aziraphale said softly, reaching to grab Crowley’s other hand. “However, I don’t want to be pull into the nightlife and…”

“My personal life isn’t part of that. I’m not going to go around and brag about our relationship, Angel.” Crowley promised. “You and our relationship is not for that ssside of my life, completely ssseperate. The only people from the clubs who will eventually know is Lucian and everyone.”

“Well I would hope they would eventually know, otherwise I might think you’re embarrass of your family knowing about us.” The blonde gave a teasing smile that earned an eye roll from the red head.

“Not embarrassed, more of jussst wanting to keep you to myself for a bit.” Crowley gave a wink that resulted in a red tint appearing on Aziraphale’s cheeks. “I don’t have to be at the club until eight tonight…ssso we could ssspend the day together, order in food and watch whatever?”

Aziraphale tilted his head up as he pretended to consider it. Crowley just playfully shook his head as he watched the blonde.

“Do I want to have a day in with my new boyfriend?” Aziraphale teasingly muttered, and Crowley couldn’t help the small jolt of happiness at his words. “You should probably head back to your flat now to change for our date.”

Crowley laughed and nodded.

“I’ll be back in about an hour.” He said before leaning forward for a quick kiss.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It took a little over an hour before Crowley was back in the flat above the bookshop, a small duffle bag in hand that held the clothes he planned to change into for work. The first few minutes he had spent making jokes about how different Aziraphale looked dressed in nothing more than jeans and a band t-shirt, a gift that was given to the blonde by his sister a few years ago.

“I could say the same for how different you look as well.” Aziraphale pointed out, motioning to the basketball shorts and graphic t-shirt Crowley was wearing.

“What’sss wrong with how I look?” Crowley asked.

“Nothing, I just meant…that is to say, I’m simply used to you dressing as if…as if, um…well, as if you’re expecting to have your picture taken at any second.” The blonde practically tripped over his words as his hands began to twist anxiously.

“Angel, it’sss fine. I’m jussst kidding.” The red head smirked as he reached out to grab the other man’s hands.

Aziraphale let out a huff of annoyance as he glared at Crowley, only earning a loud bark of laughter from the red head. The laughter quickly died when Aziraphale shook his head and made his way towards the sofa. Crowley set his bag on the floor before sitting next to the blonde, giving him a smile.

“I’ve changed my mind. I don’t think I want you as my boyfriend after all.” Aziraphale said as he glanced at the red head from the corner of his eyes. “I prefer the men I date to actually be funny.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to my humor.” Crowley grinned.

“I highly doubt that will happen, dear.” The blonde teased as he leaned forward to grab a stack of movie from the coffee table. “Why don’t you pick out the first movie?”

Crowley gave a mock salute before taking the stack and looking through his options. He was mildly surprised by the wide variety he had to chose from and even more surprised to see a copy of _The Exorcist_ mixed in with the rest of the movies.

“Didn’t take you for a horror fan.” Crowley held up the case with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m not…usually.” Aziraphale said as a red tint began to appear. “Religious horror, however, is rather interesting.”

“_The Exorcist_ it isss then.”

It only took a few minutes to get the movie started and for the two to settle on the sofa, a hint of awkwardness hanging between them. While they had decided to be in a relationship, neither one of them seemed to know what the other was comfortable with. And it was fairly obvious that both men were not only slightly awkward but nervous as well. When Aziraphale jumped with a soft apology after his hand brushed against Crowley’s leg, the red head knew he had to say something.

“You know, we’re being ridicoulsss.” Crowley said with a slightly chuckle. “We were minutesss away from shagging less than twelve hoursss ago and now…now we’re acting like children on a very firssst date.”

“Yes, this does seem a bit silly when you put it like that.” Aziraphale agreed with a nervous laugh. “I suppose it’s from the fact that I don’t know what you expect to happen now. At least, for me.”

Crowley picked up the remote and paused the movie, turning a little bit to face Aziraphale better. He knew what was under the surface of what had been said- Aziraphale wasn’t sure how fast Crowley wanted things to go, if he was expecting something to happen while they watched the movie. And even though the blonde had gotten to know him, Crowley still had a reputation when it came to men.

“I don’t expect anything to happen beyond eating lunch later, and enjoying whatever movie we watch.” Crowley said as he carefully took Aziraphale’s hand. “I know you’re aware of what people sssay about me when it comesss to guys, but…”

“What people say about you doesn’t matter, Crowley. I just didn’t know if you were expecting us to move at a certain pace or…” Aziraphale trailed off and sighed softly. “I’m being ridiculous.”

“You’re not. We can move at whatever pace you want.” He gave the blonde a soft smile, squeezing his hand slightly. “Nothing happensss if you’re uncomfortable or not ready.”

A relieved smile made its way on to Aziraphale’s face, and Crowley gave Aziraphale’s hand another squeeze before playing the movie again. He settled back into the sofa and placed his arm along the back of the sofa. A smile of his own appeared when he felt Aziraphale move closer to him, prompting the red head to bring his arm down to drape over the blonde’s shoulders.

They stayed that way through the whole movie, occasionally shifting to get more comfortable. Crowley had to admit that it was nice to just be next to each other with no ulterior motives. Moments like this were nearly nonexistent in his last relationship, his ex always expected something to happen but that was the price Crowley had paid for being a sugar baby.

And if he had started a relationship with Aziraphale before his stint at rehab, he would have expected something to happen. Hell, he would have expected something to happen the first time he had taken Aziraphale out even if they were only just friends because that’s the type of person he had been. After all, there was a reason why his friends made jokes about him trying to sleep with every guy he met.

He mentally shook his head, now was not the time to think about the dark times; now was the time to focus about his new relationship with the blonde currently snuggled into his side. And with that in mind, Crowley turned his head just enough to place a kiss into the blonde curls.

“Do you think Adam will be okay with you dating me?” Aziraphale asked suddenly as the movie came to an end.

“He lovesss you, Angel.” Crowley said with a smile, watching as the blonde got up to change out the movie.

“That doesn’t mean he’ll be happy about you dating me.” He pointed out as he sat back on the sofa. “I may never have dated a single father before but I know kids can…react badly to finding out there’s someone new.”

Crowley exhaled softly and turned to face Aziraphale, giving him a reassuring smile.

“Adam isss going to be over the moon when I tell him that you are now my boyfriend.” He said softly. “He already thinksss we’re dating and hasss told the othersss that.”

“What?” the look of shock that overcame Aziraphale’s face nearly made Crowley burst out laughing.

Luckily he maintained control of that particular impulse. He didn’t think Aziraphale would appreciate being laughed at like that.

“It isn’t that much of a surprise when you think about it, Angel. We ssspend a lot of time together, and Adam hasss noticed how much happier I’ve been.” Crowley explained. “The only thing he’sss going to be worried about isss you making me sad.”

“I may not be able to predict the future, but I don’t have any plans to make you sad.” Aziraphale gave him that bright smile that made Crowley swear he really was an angel. “And I will do my best to assure Adam that I won’t make you sad when you do tell him about us.”

“I will let you know when I do tell him, as well as when I decide to tell the othersss.” Crowley said as he moved to settled back into the cushions of the sofa. “But for now I’m going to enjoy our relationship and keep you to myself.”

They shared a smile before Aziraphale started the next movie, saying he would order lunch after this one ended.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The time for Crowley to change and prepare for the club had come entirely too fast for either of men’s liking. But as much as they wanted to continue their stay in date, Crowley reminded Aziraphale that this was just the first of many dates they would have.

“You’re more than welcome to stay in the guest room again if you have a little too much drink again.” Aziraphale offered as Crowley walked out of the bathroom, looking very much like the bad boy of London’s nightlife.

“I actually don’t plan on drinking all that much tonight.” Crowley said with a proud little smile. “Of course, if I end up doing ssso then I will get a sssafe ride back to my flat. I will text you to let you know I got home sssafe and sssound.”

“Really, Crowley, I don’t mind if you stay here again.” The blonde said as he looked at his boyfriend.

“I know you don’t, and I appreciate the offer. I really do, Angel.” He said as he walked over to Aziraphale, smiling slightly. “But I don’t want you to get sssick of me too soon.”

“If you’re sure.” Aziraphale sighed after a moment.

“We’ve only been a couple for a few hoursss, and you’re already worrying about me. ‘S kind of cute.” The red head said with a wink.

Aziraphale shook his head and gave a small huff, although he couldn’t stop his smile from appearing. Crowley laughed softly as he watched the other man try to keep up his act of not being amused despite the growing smile.

“Do you want have dinner tomorrow night with me and Adam?” Crowley asked as he grabbed his sunglasses case from the duffle bag.

“I would love to but I am having dinner with my sister tomorrow.” There was a hint of an apology in Aziraphale’s voice. “But I’m free Tuesday.”

“You have a sister?” he looked up from cleaning the designer sunglasses, raising an eyebrow.

“I do. Uriel’s three years older than me and my parents adopted her from the same orphanage that they adopted me from.” The blonde said, continuing when he saw Crowley open his mouth. “And before you ask, she was named after an angel as well.”

“I sense a theme with your parentsss.” Crowley chuckled as he slipped the sunglasses on. “How do I look?”

He held his arms out to his sides as he stood in front of Aziraphale and struck a ridiculous pose after a moment. At the giggle that left his boyfriend the red head continued doing the most ridiculous poses he could think of, determined to keep the blonde giggling.

It was a few more minutes before Aziraphale shook his head and walked over, grabbing Crowley’s arms in order to keep him from posing again. The red head just grinned as he watched the blonde try to get control of himself.

“I was going to say you looked fine but then you started doing whatever that was.” Aziraphale teased as he took a step back to take another look. “You look very much like you belong in the nightclubs.”

“But do I look good? Handsome? Sexy?” an eyebrow peaked above the top of his sunglasses.

“You look very handsome, my dear.” Aziraphale said as he stepped forward, gently kissing Crowley.

The kiss went on for a moment before Aziraphale pulled back, much to Crowley’s disappointment. And that disappointment must have been obvious because the blonde gave a soft smile. Crowley watched as he took a few steps back this time and cleared his throat.

“There is nothing more I would like than to kiss you again, but you do have to get going soon.” Aziraphale pointed out.

Crowley wanted to argue that he had time but stopped himself when he looked at his watch, noticing that it was a quarter to eight. He let out a dramatic groan and shouldered his duffle bag. When he looked at Aziraphale, that look of amusement was back on the blonde’s face and the red head couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Jussst for the record, I would much rather be here for a little longer.” Crowley said.

“You’ll survive.” Aziraphale smiled as he grabbed Crowley’s hand, walking him down into the bookshop and to the door. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“I’ll ssstop by on your lunch break.” Crowley promised, leaning in for one more kiss before making his way out of the bookshop. “Have a good night, Angel.”

“Goodnight, dear.”

Crowley knew if he didn’t start walking towards the club then he would never leave, so with a small wave he turned and began walking. Luckily the bookshop wasn’t too far from Nine Circles and he had arrived in no time, making a quick stop at the Bentley to put his bag into the backseat. He made his way into the club, mentally preparing himself for whatever the others were going to say when they saw him.

“Well look who finally decided to grace us with his presence.” Oliver’s voice rang out from where he was helping Anathema set up the bar.

“Yeah, yeah.” Crowley waved him off as he went straight for his section. “I had other mattersss to attend to.”

“Those matters involve Azi and a bed?” Ligur asked from his section, receiving a rude hand gesture from the red head instead.

Crowley began making sure everything was set up properly and waiting for his team to join him. He was glad that everyone was focused on their current tasks because it made it easier for him to not say anything about his change in relationship status. As he waited for his bottle service team, he could feel eyes on him.

“You missed brunch.” Ellie said as they walked over to Crowley, looking at him with a curious expression their face. “Did something happened between you and Azi?”

“Why do you think me missing brunch means sssomething happened?” Crowley turned his head to look at them, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Because you were both had a lot to drink, and I know how you get after you drink.” They said bluntly.

“Nothing happened. We had a few more drinksss and then I went to the guest bedroom to sssleep.”

It technically wasn’t a lie, he was just leaving a few details out. But those details weren’t for anyone to know but Crowley and Aziraphale. Ellie opened their mouth to say something else but was interrupted by the bottle service teams heading to their respective sections. Ellie gave him a skeptical look before walking over to their section.

Crowley waited for his team to settle down and gave them all his signature smirk.

“Alright girls, boys, and those in between, here’s the breakdown on who is getting what tables.” Crowley began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued support of this fic despite how irregular the updates have been lately. I swear I did not forgot about this fic, I've just been either busy with personal life or mentally exhausted from everything that's going on. But I currently have some time off to work on this bad boy and I'm going to try to get back to a more regular update schedule.
> 
> With all that said, I wanted to give you guys some fluff to make up for the delay in updates and hopefully this delivered. Now things are starting to gain some steam and we're going to be getting into the thick of it pretty soon, so buckle up and prepare for the roller coaster you have now boarded.
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr (a-rare-gift) and twitter (demonic_ant)


End file.
